Birdlime

[cronos]

I was looking through some old reference material and I found a reference to “Birdlime” being made from Holly. I am aware what birdlime is, but how is it made from the inner bark of Holly? The reference that i had gave no details.

Cheers guys
Cronos

 

[wolf]

can be made from mistletoe also if you can find any...

 

[cronos]

Ah but how is it made, which is the best material to use.

Cronos

 

[innocent bystander]

From google:
"young bark, boiled and fermented"

Doesn't appear to be much in the way of instruction though..

 

[wolf]

you boil the holly leaves until you have a gluey paste,this you then smear onto the branches...

 

[Toddy]

Somewhere, on one of the holly uses type questions, this came up a while back.
At the time I was doing a set of uncommon natural dyes and one of the barks that I had was holly. I tried the recipe for glue/birdlime from the thread but all I ended up with was the most sickening stinking mess imaginable.
It would be interesting to see what someone else achieves

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[wolf]

Somewhere, on one of the holly uses type questions, this came up a while back.
At the time I was doing a set of uncommon natural dyes and one of the barks that I had was holly. I tried the recipe for glue/birdlime from the thread but all I ended up with was the most sickening stinking mess imaginable.
It would be interesting to see what someone else achieves

Cheers,
Toddy

yes you are right it does stink,i think the old poachers used this method alot???

 

[innocent bystander]

"From the bark, stripped from the young shoots and suffered to ferment, birdlime is made. The bark is stripped off about midsummer and steeped in clean water; then boiled till it separates into layers, when the inner green portion is laid up in small heaps till fermentation ensues. After about a fortnight has elapsed, it becomes converted into a sticky, mucilaginous substance, and is pounded into a paste, washed and laid by again to ferment. It is then mixed with some oily matter, goosefat being preferred, and is ready for use. Very little, however, is now made in this country. In the north of England, Holly was formerly so abundant in the Lake District, that birdlime was made from it in large quantities and shipped to the East Indies for destroying insects. "

 

[cronos]

Cheers Innocent Bystander,
I have to try that next summer, is there any other uses for Birdlime other than an adhesive, can it be hardened or formed into a resin?

Cronos

 

[innocent bystander]

Getting rid of insects apparently. One of the descriptions states that there was so much available oop north, that it was exported in prodigous quantities to east indies for removing insects. Not sure how though...

 

[cronos]

Getting rid of insects apparently. One of the descriptions states that there was so much available oop north, that it was exported in prodigous quantities to east indies for removing insects. Not sure how though...

It’s possible that it would have been used like a fly strip or mixed with a natural insect repellent.

Cheers Cronos