empty hazel nuts

[Dave Budd]

at work I'm surrounded by oak and hazel, so at this time of year I should be almost swimming in acorns and hazel nuts. But...

I've also got a lot of Turkey Oak, so have gall wasps that spoil most of my acorns Not too bothered as I'm not a huge fan of acorn as food stuff.

hazel nuts, however, I do like. I've been picking some of the ground (some still green and in their leafy attachments, others brown and bare) and some from the trees themselves. But from a few dozen 'nuts' I've not had a single piece to eat! The shells are all either empty or filled with powder (I guess the decayed nut)

Does anybody know why this is? I've found plenty of hazelnuts to eat on trees elsewhere in the area, but not a bean in my woods! I know there must be some good ones, the squirrels seem to bury enough in my workshop each year!

 

[slowworm]

I've found a similar thing from trees in Devon as well as Surrey. Nuts that have fallen early always seem to be empty, which I assume is why they've fallen. Even ones from the trees are often empty, much less actual nut than previous years. I think it's either down to poor pollination, perhaps due to frost in spring, or down to the very dry spring we've had affecting the nuts development.

Perhaps more of a concern will be what'll happen to the wildlife if this is a general problem, I could see the squirrels for example attacking more trees in winter if they can't feast on the nuts.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I was watching squirrels the other day and every nut they tested and discarded had something up with it (I checked after). They took all the good ones for themselves.
So I'm assuming that the ones you find on the floor are the bad ones the squirrels don't want.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

If the nut shells had a tiny hole in them, then this is the work of the hazel (or hazelnut) weevil. The hole (exit) is where the grub left the nut after eating the contents.

 

[Toddy]

The local nuts seem barren too, Dave
No idea why? they look sound, well shaped and 'feel' right, but there's nothing inside worth eating.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Shewie]

Was there much sign of new fruit on the trees Dave?

Could the powdery ones be last years and this years haven't dropped yet?

 

[Totumpole]

Ive been noticing similar in the hedgrows around my area (eastern edge of the brecons). I notice there is evidence of some that are nibbled and others that arent - all in the same clutch that have fallen from the tree!!! I can only assume the squirrels and mice are smarter than me and know whats a good nut and whats aint even a nut. Whats making them hollow I dont know. Might crack open the remainer I took from the tree and have been drying out, see what kind of hit rate I get.

 

[Dave Budd]

hmm. I wonder what's going on then? The brown/dusty ones may be last years, but I don't think so. In anycase the green leafy ones are fresh and still empty. I'll keep trying the ones on the tree over the next few weeks and see if things improve as the season goes on?

 

[Nice65]

The local nuts seem barren too, Dave
No idea why? they look sound, well shaped and 'feel' right, but there's nothing inside worth eating.

cheers,
Toddy

An excellent filthy pun in there but I'll leave well alone.

I'm finding the same all over, from my own trees just outside Bognor, to my working area all the way over to the Meon Valley and across to Billingshurst. Green shells, still clothed, on the ground but with no nut.

I'm wondering if our very early, hot Spring has had anything to do with pollination?

 

[Shewie]

I'm out hunting for hazel trees tomorrow now

 

[palmnut]

Same here in Dorset.

Incidentally Dave, I camped only three or four miles away from you woods last week (the other side of Cheriton) - I thought of calling in to say hi but realised that you probably wouldn't remember me from the other hundreds of herberts that have traipsed through your woods over the years ;-) Will you be attending the Cranborne Wood Fair again this year?

Peter

 

[taws6]

Blacktimberwolf has it spot on, this is the work of the hazel (or hazelnut) weevil. The hole (exit) is where the grub left the nut after eating the contents.

Also, if the hole is about the size of a pea, then a mouse / vole has nibbled it's way to the tasty interior!

 

[Dave Budd]

i've not seen any holes the the shells? how big is the weevil hole?

Palmnut, I'm sure I would recognise you when I saw you Though you are right, it does get confusing sometimes and can take me a few minutes to work out whether I know a person simply from meeting them at a show r if I have spent some days with them in the woods! As it happens I was in the woods the whole of last week with a lovely Israeli couple making various woodworking tools.

yes. I will be at the Cranborne woodfair I'm also going to the Bentley woodfair for the first time this year

 

[Tadpole]

The cobb nuts in Bristol all seem empty as well, they are now at least, a month or so ago, they were full of nut flesh.

 

[malente]

It's similar here too. Yesteryear was a lot better.

 

[treadlightly]

I'm off to the woods tonight for the weekend. Will check the hazel trees.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Hazels are wind pollinated & if there is a warm, calm spring with early leaf growth, this can effect the pollinisation ......try googling ' Parthenocarpy'

 

[milius2]

Picking them up from the ground is quite useless to my experience. It's like most things in nature, the weak one's or the damaged fall out first. That's mine catch for this year:

Very easy to pick them with a help of a stick

 

[mountainm]

All the ones on my local tree are good, even the ones on the ground.

 

[treadlightly]

They're looking good in the Chilterns...