Killing Mesquite and Black Locust: Hack-and-Squirt, Not Drilling

Effective Herbicide Application for Woody Invasives

Drilling holes into wood does nothing—living tissue is just under the bark. Use the hack-and-squirt (frill) method:

1. Hatchet cuts 3 in. apart around trunk, through bark into sapwood.
2. Immediately squirt undiluted triclopyr (Garlon) or glyphosate (Roundup) into cuts.
3. Tree translocates herbicide to roots, killing entire plant.

Works on mesquite and black locust. Cuts at waist height reduce stooping. Sheep eating beans won't be affected by treated trees.