Something ate culm from inside out!

Controlling pests of bamboo

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David
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Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by David »

Beth noticed this culm was leaning at an odd angle and had a hole in the side.

The culm was completely hollowed out, and the hollow extended all the way to the ground where it intersected a small tunnel.

It's easy to see incisor marks, and small claw marks all along the inside of the culm.

It appears that the critter entered the culm under ground, and ate its way to the top. The hole was formed by eating at the culm wall from the inside, and was not the entry point.

I think it was a mouse or similar critter.

What do you think?
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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
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needmore
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by needmore »

Voles eh?
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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Alan_L
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by Alan_L »

Wait, how did soil get inside the culm? Really strange.

Which species is this? If it's your vivax, I'd say that grove is cursed.
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David
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by David »

Alan, the critter ate its way into the culm underground, and ate out the bottom of the culm base so what you are seeing is earth below the culm base. This is a vivax grove, but not the one that was vandalized.

Brad, have you ever seen a vole eat into a culm like this?
David Arnold
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needmore
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by needmore »

No, never seen it but then again I've hardly ever had a culm big enough for them to climb inside. It sure looks like their work though.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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David
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by David »

Beggars! :twisted:


Time to break out the toxic smoke bombs!
David Arnold
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moriphen
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by moriphen »

David, looks like you need some urban sprawl and SUV projectiles to remove your nature problem. I can't compare I believe we had shrews one year before the cats killed them.

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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by Iowaboo »

very interesting indeed.
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Re: Something ate culm from inside out!

Post by stevelau1911 »

I have the same thing happening on one of my YG bamboo shoots. I'm not sure if I should just cut it out, but it still seems to be growing, and there are only about a dozen shoots off this grove this year, and it unfortunately had to happen to to the largest shoot which is near an inch in diameter. Based on the hole size, it looks like either slugs, or maybe some kind of insect.

Should I just cut this shoot out?

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