Hi Michael-

I love the Ziploc pic! Perhaps we could use this technique to start branding our own apples! :-) I've always used the cheapest Walmart baggies because that's what Jellyman recommended... Perhaps this is one reason why!

If the birds damaged all your unbagged apples, and only took one bagged apple [per our email], it sounds to me like the bagging was still a success. Despite this damage, this is the first time I've seen an example of where the bagging really did help thwart the birds. Good info.

Thanks for sharing these pics!

ÂGlenn

I think i lost about 4 bagged apples to squirrels. Mine turned out great and i'm very impressed with bagging. My wife even was taking them off the tree because they were so good :)

The "Ziploc" must have shaded that part of the apple. That makes for some VERY GOOD IDEAS.. You could write your name on the bags (perm marker?) and brand your apples :)

cool stuff

THey used to do that in Japan. People would order an apple with a name or message on it to a loved one, and the fruit grower would grow the apple so that the message was white, against the red fruit. Very costly!

Upon further reflection, that looks a lot more like squirrel gnawn's than bird peckn's. Maybe that is why I've not seen any birds in the tree, but then again, never seen any squirrels either. All the bagged apples except the one above were fine, the dozen or so left unbagged for observational purposes all have been pecked/chewed to varying extents. This seems to be evidence indicating a benefit to bagging other than insect control.

Michael

Michael, thats birds. Squirrels shred bags and bite the surface, birds peck holes. Wasps also make holes but I don't think they can get through the bags.

There is someone in the US doing the apple messages business as well now. Its amazing how easy it is to do based on the above unintentional example!

Scott

Thanks Scott, I guess that's a relief. I was thinking squirrels because plastic that was once there is no longer, figured birds wouldn't actually remove plastic.

Michael