Hickory nuts

[Lauri]

Last year, I picked up quite a few.

They sat in the garage for several weeks, before I had a chance to tend to them.

Once I did get to them, there were a bunch of white grub type worms in the bottom of the bucket and I'd say about 90% of the shells had a hole in them.

I was VERY careful to check the shells, for any holes. At the time they were placed in the bucket, the worm had not emerged. (no hole)

Is this just the way it is, picking nuts from "wild" trees?
These trees are too tall for me to do any type of spraying.

Thank you

[Paquebot]

That's an oddity to me. I know what you are talking about but I've never had them show up after the nuts are gathered. The grubs are in the nut when it's on the tree and exit/frass hole is there before it hits the ground. Getting out in a hurry is to prevent being gobbled up whatever was around when the trees and insects developed. Those nuts are usually easily spotted due to the hole and light weight. Here's an article about them:

www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2008/10-8/nutweevil.html

Martin

[Fire-Man]

Alot of people "think" that most of the grubs. worms, etc eat their way INTO the Fruit/nuts, but Most Eat their way Out. I have eaten many of apples off my grandmothers apple trees when I was a kid----look at a apple, no holes, bite into it and look and there is a worm 1/2 the way in the apple waving at me---LOL.

[Lauri]

That is exactly what the hole and the grub looked like.

And what you said about them exiting before dropping, makes sense.
However, there were no holes in the ones I picked up.

Alas, it looks as though free nut meat for me, is not to be..

[Badger]

Use those grubs to catch a mess of bluegill! They are the main reason I pick up hickory nuts, them and the hulls that I use for mulch on my Azaleas and roses.
If you float those nuts in a bucket of water before you shell them, and only crack the ones that sink you'll get alot more nut meat without having to crack all the empty ones. I freeze the grubs with a little corn meal and they're good bait all winter.

[poorboy]

About a younster in New England a killing fox squirrels and saving the stomach's fullo hickery nuts for his mama making a pie...

[Tabitha]

Originally Posted by poorboy

About a younster in New England a killing fox squirrels and saving the stomach's fullo hickery nuts for his mama making a pie...

Was that really done? I read it in a book called, "a day no pigs would die" by Robert Peck. That was a long time ago. But I seem to remember he went to kill a squirrel for the express purpose of getting the nuts in it's stomach for his momma to put on a cake.

[poorboy]

Originally Posted by Tabitha

Was that really done? I read it in a book called, "a day no pigs would die" by Robert Peck. That was a long time ago. But I seem to remember he went to kill a squirrel for the express purpose of getting the nuts in it's stomach for his momma to put on a cake.

The same book, I don't know if it was actually done , but it is possible. I have seen large unbroken pieces of hickory nuts in fox squirrel stomachs before...I remember marveling at the size and condition of the nuts when I would clean squirrels as a youngster...thinking these look like they were just swallowed...it was at a certain part of the fall if my memory serves me correctly...

[Danaus29]

Lauri, I know exactly what you mean. I used to pick up acorns and hated finding the worms (grubs) in the bottom of my acorn bucket. And those acorns never had holes in them when I picked the nuts up.

You can cut back on the future population by gathering the nuts and killing the grubs. Otherwise I don't know how to get rid of them. Some years are worse than others.

[SpaceCadet12364]

If they are on your place, free range some chickens and/or guineas. They should make short work on the grubs, and start reducing the populations. Guineas work good on reducing/eliminating ticks, too.