re: Catalpa worms- what happened to them?

quote:

---

We had a few trees in our yard when I was a kid. Good memories for sure.
My dad and his folks love using the worms. I always thought crickets were better.

---

Agreed....crickets are better for bluegill but not as a good as a pink worm for big shellcrackers. We used to stop on the way fishing and get some catalpa worms off other people's bushes. Never asked for permission, just stopped, grabbed a bunch and drove off. A lot of times old boy would be mowing the lawn or otherwise outdoors and he'd wave at us. We'd probably get shot doing that today....

You are absolutely correct.
I have been growing American Chestnuts and PawPaw trees trying to repopulate. Going to add catalpa trees. I live out here in the country. Certainly don’t have to deal with bug sprayers.
How can I get in touch with you to get some cuttings?

I think I remember my PawPaw told me when I was a tadpole that the pod had to be eaten and the critters stomach acid would dissolve the outer shell and when the critter pooped it would start the seed.
I’ve slept a few times since that was told to me, but I seem to remember that.

Send me an email and I'll get with you. I'm in Shreveport, but I have property in Vernon Parish and fish Toledo a lot. We can definitely meet up if you are around Toledo.

quote:

---

Works real well on lots of stuff you DON'T want it to work on though.....And who knows what kind of long term effects on other animals....But, hey, yeh, let's spray it on everything as an shitty effort to scare away a bug that simply adapts to it.

---

Couldn't have said it much better myself.

It is the same with everything, too. If it consumes, lives on, or visits a plant it is on the listed insects for a lot of insecticides. The kicker is, depending on what the intended application is, the label doesn't have to list everything it actually kills, only what it is intended to kill.

The worst of them all may be neonicotinoids. Big commercial nurseries that supply many chain box store nurseries use them. They're systemic, they'll stay in the plant longterm. It is widely used on ornamentals, too. So, if you go to Lowe's and buy a butterfly bush that says on the label "Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds" you will be attracting them right to a plant that has already been dosed with insecticides. The kicker is that neonicotinoids contain nicotine, which just like in people is addictive to the insect. So, they can get addicted to the actual insecticide and keep coming back for more.

As a bonus, neonicotinoids can accumulate in soil. People who have never sprayed it nor had plants that came treated with it have had soil samples test positive for it.

Commercial nurseries, nor their outlets are required to list if the plants they offer for sale have been sprayed. There are efforts to require listing, and I think California now requires it. For as much shite as people give Calofornia, occasionally they manage to get some things right.

Well, now we know where they have all gone......Ron has them all!

That's pretty cool what he's doing.

I have one at my place, i'll check it out today

quote:

---

I've been told it's due to the mosquito control spray.

---

I dunno. I'm waaaaaaay out in the country with three trees my Grandfather and I planted back in the early 70s. They used-to-be covered up and they were our go-to catfish bait.

Not anymore.

And we've never seen mosquito spray out here in these parts.

I thought it might be the birds at one time ... but that's not it.

They are really easy to grow. Mature trees have tons of seedling around them you can dig up. The caterpillars are a different story. They seem to have disappeared from north Florida. I have multiple trees in various age groups with nothing. The original tree that I remember from my grandparents house is still there. It has multiple seedlings in the tree line. No catalpa worms to be found. I’ve been searching marketplace for live worms to try to “seed” my trees with no luck.