New Holes?

[jhermann]

I've been tapping for a couple years and this is the first that I have seen with this warm weather so early. We tapped about 10 days ago, got a decent couple of days and nothing since then. With the warm weather continuing at least for another week, should I drill fresh holes just before the weather turns around? I want to maximize the sap flow! Thanks to any feedback from the veterans...

[Ausable]

Lousy conditions this year in my part of Michigan too. Wait till the weather gets right for sap flow again and if your trees flow - no problem. If they don't - I would suggest pulling the spiles on a few trees and redrill or clean out this years holes and reinsert the spiles - if you get a flow - you are back in business and do the same for the other trees not flowing. In the past - I have redrilled new holes and end up with sap coming from two holes on trees that should only have one tap. Hey - good luck - the buds gotta have sap to swell and make leaves and it takes a sap flow to do it and we will be waiting ----- Mike

[Rhino]

The only year we re-tapped our trees it was way warmer then this spell is, plus there was sunshine so the bacteria really had a grip on the holes. The last few days and nights have been foggy and right around 38-45 degrees. Not to worried about heavy bacteria growth in the holes yet. If this week is in the mid 50's and sunny I would be concerned but I don't think we would ever re-tap all our trees again. To much work and not good for our trees. Time will tell how the Wis. season will be?