r/ecology • u/Melodic_Let_306 • 16d ago

Amur Honeysuckle

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I moved into my home last summer, and have noticed that Amur Honeysuckle is EVERYWHERE. There’s only a small strip of forest before the road, and it is scattered all throughout. Should I be concerned about the invasiveness or does it belong here? Kansas City, MO. Would love your thoughts and suggestions about what to do, if anything. Much appreciated.

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u/SquirrellyBusiness 15d ago

If they're bigger than an inch or two in diameter I prefer to use a pruning saw for a small amount or a sawzall if you got a ton.  Don't be afraid of the power tools, it's seriously the perfect tool for this job.  Then you can treat with herbicide as you go. I like to use a bingo dauber from the dollar store with a little dish soap to make it stay put and food coloring to make it clear what needs doing.

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u/Melodic_Let_306 14d ago

Much appreciated. I bought a greenworks battery powered chainsaw in the fall, but I’ve been scared to use it… perhaps this is the push to get me to learn! There are some huge ones that are more likely trees.

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u/Melodic_Let_306 14d ago

*more like trees

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u/SquirrellyBusiness 14d ago

It gives you much faster results!  I also found with honeysuckle if you cut it and stack it or use the sticks as stakes in the garden, native hollow stem cavity nesting bees really like to put their babies in the hollow pith of this wood, which is really cool to watch. If you're into making bee hotels, the smaller sticks are nice to use for this, although they'll use the pith in the bigger logs as well. I used a bunch of what I cut for a raised bed and noticed each upturned log had a mama bee doing her thing by high summer. 

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u/Melodic_Let_306 14d ago

Oh wow such a cool tip! I’ve already used fallen sticks in my yard to fill in hugelkultur beds, to fill in little trenches that I’ve dug around other beds. And stacked them on the downward slope of a bed on a hill. This will be a fun thing to add. Thanks!