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Any ideas for materials to plug holes in trees from bolts? (E.g., foam ear plugs)

TNbowhunter

TNbowhunter

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Location
Middle Tennessee
I posted this as a comment in another thread, but I want to raise the issue for discussion separately here since I know there are lots of clever folks who might have a good idea on this...

I'd love to find something I could plug my bolt holes with that would (largely) keep bugs, fungus, etc. out and would also help me quickly identify my pre-drilled holes in the dark. It would obviously need to be low-cost, or it wouldn't get used. In essence, if it costs near what screw-in steps cost ($3ish each), then I'd be better off just putting those in the tree.
I'm envisioning something like a foam popsicle that I could easily pop out on the way up the tree and replace on the way down. Cheap orange foam ear plugs are my best idea so far, but I could foresee problems when they get rained on or accidentally pushed too far into the tree.
Anybody have any good ideas??
 
Jay_Disarray said:
Never used bolts but would something like this work? Should be able to find them cheap at your local hardware store
View attachment 36508
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I like that idea, but might encounter issues with pulling those out, assuming I seated them in enough to actually block the holes and keep bugs out. Something along those lines but with the flexibility of rubber might be the ticket...
 
Sniper4hire said:
Golf tees
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Good thinking, but I doubt they'd seal the holes enough to keep out all but the largest bugs. And, a partially sealed hole might actually harbor more bugs since woodpeckers and other critters couldn't clean them out. I'm just speculating, though--definitely not an arborist/expert!
 
TNbowhunter said:
I posted this as a comment in another thread, but I want to raise the issue for discussion separately here since I know there are lots of clever folks who might have a good idea on this...

I'd love to find something I could plug my bolt holes with that would (largely) keep bugs, fungus, etc. out and would also help me quickly identify my pre-drilled holes in the dark. It would obviously need to be low-cost, or it wouldn't get used. In essence, if it costs near what screw-in steps cost ($3ish each), then I'd be better off just putting those in the tree.
I'm envisioning something like a foam popsicle that I could easily pop out on the way up the tree and replace on the way down. Cheap orange foam ear plugs are my best idea so far, but I could foresee problems when they get rained on or accidentally pushed too far into the tree.
Anybody have any good ideas??
Click to expand...
What about packing peanuts? Free, no weight to carry a bunch in your pocket.
 
Honestly, if you're worried about bacteria, and fungus introduction to the tree you're better off not putting anything in the holes unless it is 100$ sterile. There is a reason when sugaring you NEVER reuse taps anymore(the old metal spouts yes, but they are sterilized every season before and after use).

I find the best thing to do is really just get in a good rythym of wwhere yopu're drilling, use a body reference point. <Mine are always witing an inch or so of where I put my hand with the bolt in it on the first try(unless there is a limb). I also only pull the bottom 4-6 bolts after each hunt, and I can put the first 3 in from the ground so its pretty darn simple.
 
Generally speaking anything you put in or on tree wounds causes more bad than good. The reason for this is increased humidity in the cavities or wounds which promotes fungal growth/propagation.
Classic example is “pruning sealer” old wives tale of the century.
 
Ear plugs are the way to go. Brown to hide, orange to see. They will keep water out, which is great. Nothing worse than the rancid splooge that comes out of a predrilled hole
 
Plugging holes isn't going to do anything positive for tree health. It's not going to stop decay, that's going to happen regardless. In regard to insect damage, it depends on the insect and tree species in question, there's lot of different wood boring insects in the woods, but many times the actual issue at hand isn't that wood boring insects need a predrilled hole to get into the tree, they can get into the tree just fine on their own. It's that when wounds are created in the tree, volatile compounds are released into the air which in turn attracts borers to the tree.
 
I seen a good option and was thinking of this thread yesterday.....packing popcorns would fill the hole and be easy to see in the dark....it's like 3/4 diameter cylinder and squishy like an ear plugs, semi waterproof, and the 1s I saw that made me think of this were about 2"long and bright white....easy to find and probably cost zero dollars
 
Weldabeast said:
I seen a good option and was thinking of this thread yesterday.....packing popcorns would fill the hole and be easy to see in the dark....it's like 3/4 diameter cylinder and squishy like an ear plugs, semi waterproof, and the 1s I saw that made me think of this were about 2"long and bright white....easy to find and probably cost zero dollars
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Keep in mind most of the newer ones of these that are cylindrical are actually made of corn starch and will dissolve in water...
 
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