Spotted Oak bore treatment?

[thook]

Hey all!

I live in the Ozarks on ten acres amongst other hundreds.....ie, the woods. Naturally, it's full of oaks. Little by little I've been watching them croak from oak bore. Every fall when I cut firewood, I see evidence of the little bastards. However, yesterday, I actually saw a mature beetle under the bark of a white oak they killed. Thing is, my house is surrounded by oaks. I already had to cut one red oak down this Spring that was butt up against my house. Too bad 'cause it provided alot of shade! Needless to say, the drought last summer didn't help matters and I have nearly twenty oaks to cut down, now, in varying sizes. Mostly big ones, though. GRRR! I got off my procrastinating ars and decided to start doing some research about it. I still have several oaks surrounding my house and....man....I just don't want them to die. I've had my eye on one in particular for a treehouse. It's still quite healthy as are the others. I'd really like to keep them that way, though. I figure some cured manure here and there and get some more water to them from collected roof run off. My well only has so much capacity, eh.

Anyway, what can else can I do, besides keeping them healthy and strong, to try and prevent spread of the beetles to these trees? I've already done some internet reading and I know to be careful about infected firewood. Also, it seems a lindane containing substance must be used. I've got a lot of animals, so I'm really hoping there might be some alternatives.....anything anyone else might have done successfully. Ideas anyone? It be so appreciated. I don't want the hillside I live on to be a barren wasteland in five years baking the summer sun. Not to mention the high, cold winds sometimes ripping through the valley in winter. Burrrr!.

 

[Raintree]

We don't have the Goldspotted Oak Borer up in these parts so I'm unfamiliar with it's control.

If it's like other jewel beetles, control would not be limited to Lindane. I would bet there is good control methods without having animal worries. Injections & drenches with new products labeled for this metallic wood-boring beetle is the way to go. Good luck!

 

[thook]

Thanks for the encouragement. Yeah....I'll just keep doing some searches until either someone here's got something or I find alternatives.

 

[thook]

So, I got an idea..........

Anything I've been able to find in the way of bore treatment is chemical in nature. It's expensive and toxic and possibly not effective. It occurred to me, anyway, after watching the birds fly around and the eat berries off the tree neighboring my future treehouse oak, that any chemical treatment would probably kill them. Specifically the woodpeckers. That would suck....:frown:

So, it then occurred to me trees are electrically conductive. Live ones, that is. Also, it's been shown trees, as all living things do, produce an electrical charge....even if it is only in millivolts. And, so, why not electrocute the freakin' bores?!! It's been demonstrated that electrical charges/frequencies in specific amounts is effective at repelling or even eliminating parasites in the human body without detriment to the body itself. So, what about trees? Problem is, I wouldn't know what equipment to use and what amount of charge/frequency would be effective at eliminating the pests without harming the trees biological processes. I've got an electrical fence charger, but I'm afraid that may be too much. I think I'd want to know some specifics before I go frying a tree I'm trying to save.

Anyone got any input?

 

[Raintree]

I think my head is going to explode.:msp_biggrin: