Bodark apples

Anyone ever scatter these around your house? They are supposed to keep spiders away.

nope

Your thinking of evil spirits.

Are these the same as horse apples? If so yes and it works.

* Bois d'Arc

Horse apples ?

Yep them is horse apples,got a bunch of them laying around if you wanna keep spiders away.

No but I sure threw a bunch of them as a kid. Its a wonder we didn't kill each other having horse apple fights!!!!

we made large sling shots from inner tubes tied between two trees and fired them into a pasture, good times.

Good news - they supposedly repel roaches.
Bad news - they most definitely attract squirrels.

Google info:
What started as old wives’ tales now seem to be established as scientific facts. The issue involved is whether horse apples from the bois d’arc tree (also known as Osage orange and by many other names) can repel cockroaches, silverfish, moths, spiders, skunks, armadillos, and the likes.
Jim Ainsworth, Commerce, spread horse apples around the perimeter of a barn infested by skunks and opossums. Both species went into hiding in other locales, and the skunks stopped spraying around his barn. Ainsworth shouts, “Amen!” to the claim that horse apples control cricket colonies. Others praise the fruit for driving away skunks and armadillos finding refuge under their pier and beam home foundations.

I pick squirrels

Bois Dar'k is the hardest wood in North America.
Most all wagon wheels were made from Bois Dar'k wood because of its strength and durability. Even after it's cut it's strength last most longer than any other trees. Indians prized it for making bows. Early settlers and pioneers prized them as well for making bowls and they would transplant them as much as they could. They are an ugly tree.

Another interesting fact about the Bois d'Arc is early pioneer land surveyors made stakes out of them for use as property corners as they last a very long time, we still occasionally find them and they are treated like gold.

Bois d' Arc also make the best brushpiles; which is why I'm saddened to hear they are clearing so many out of that new reservoir.

We used to fill the pick up bed up with them and race down main street on Halloween with the end gate down.

If there was a way to drop the tailgate from the inside, that would work great for those who like to ride your bumper.

Those things are sticky.how would you fish a bda brushpile?

They play hell on a chainsaw

Fish just above them or around the outside.

Indeed, only cut one small tree and it cost me 3 chains needing sharpened.

Good info on insects, did not know this.

Isn't that the wood that the Arc was made of?

Knew of a guy in Arkansas that made duck calls from the wood. Had a great tone and was not affected by the weather.

i would love to find 1 of those

at the family farm, in Melissa
they are on each corner of the house & porches
they are from 1890 & still hard as a rock
(in 2004, when they sold it, at least)

Do you mean as support for the house and porches? If so that is awesome

During the dust bowl, there was thousands of these trees planted in the OK shelter belts. Farmers have removed many of the shelter belts, so now they're getting harder to find.

I remember one at my grandmothers place and the big green ‘apples’. Don’t think I’ve seen but one since and it’s been a long time. Are they the same as an ironwood tree? I remember those from later in childhood but don’t know if they are the same. I do know an ax would just bounce off an ironwood and barely scratch it.

Where would I find some of these horse apples to put around my house? The damn spiders are about to carry us off. Those big "ol" wolf spiders chase the new batch of kittens around the yard.

I think the idea that they repel bugs might a urban legend . We have one in the back yard that drops several dozen apples every year and the spiders are in that tree and on the ground just like all the other tree's and yard . The squirrels sure do like them though .

That wood is great for a bonfire if you have plenty of other regular wood to burn around it.

As a home inspector I would often find cut Bois d'Ark being used as piers in very old homes. Unlike other wood termites will not touch the stuff and the piers were still rock solid. Unfortunately they were not to code and I would recommend their removal and replacement.

Yep - it'll burn hot and for a long time - just need protection from the popping.

Back in the day, one of my guys ran one over with a zero turn. Shot out and caved in a car door, had to get the guys door repaired!

Why, I like spiders. They kill other bugs. As far as the wood goes it is supposed to make and excellent long bow.

yes at the corners

wow
so they worked for 100 years
& now they are not up to code?

yep

did the same and even threw them at cars on occasion

You're also missing that the root bark and sawdust if you have any, is dye. And the same insecticidal properties that are in the apples is also in the wood, keeping the termites from eating it.