# Bugs and chanterelles



## will k (Jan 4, 2009)

last year I found a real nice chanterelle spot unfortunately most were buggy. My question is will that spot have the same results this year? Will a buggy spot always be a buggy spot? Only my 3 rd year of picking chants. Thanks. Bill


----------



## jschlenke (Jul 8, 2013)

Not sure where you are located bill, but I have the same problem here in Washtenaw county. I've hunted chants all over SE mich and I'd say 3/4 of the patches tend to be somewhere between a little buggy to infested. Cinnabar chants often escape the plague, but the goldens are tough. I will be headed north this season to find the magical dividing line- I understand that NLP chants are nearly bug free!


----------



## will k (Jan 4, 2009)

jschlenke said:


> Not sure where you are located bill, but I have the same problem here in Washtenaw county. I've hunted chants all over SE mich and I'd say 3/4 of the patches tend to be somewhere between a little buggy to infested. Cinnabar chants often escape the plague, but the goldens are tough. I will be headed north this season to find the magical dividing line- I understand that NLP chants are nearly bug free!


----------



## will k (Jan 4, 2009)

I'm in Monroe county. Getting alittle tied of picking 20 shrooms just to find 1 that's bug free. Might have to head north if that's what it takes. Thanks for the reply!


----------



## jschlenke (Jul 8, 2013)

For what it's worth, the bugs taste exactly like the mushroom they are ruining. If I only see one or two holes and I'm jonesing for a good meal I have zero problems eating a few protein rich invaders. Keep looking in your area too, I've been lucky enough to find clean patches within 5 minutes drive of the worst ones.


----------



## CaptainNorthwood (Jan 3, 2006)

The bug holes bothered me initially but to be quite honest I don't let it bother me anymore. If it looks like it got hit with # 9 bird shot at close range those get pitched but if it's just got a marginal number of tunnels it comes home with me. In my bag I have a divider in it for clean chants and ones that just "made the cut"....literally. Lol. When I get home it's easy to process them because they are already sorted out. The clean ones get a quick cleaning with a brush and the buggy ones get trimmed up. Sometimes you can trim out all the bad spots and other times you can trim out most of the bad spots. Either way I end up with more shrooms than I would of had if I had just chucked it. And they all taste the same to me so that's all I care about. I rarely see the bugs that made the tunnels anyway. So I just assume they moved on......in reality I know they probably didn't but it's better mentally if I think their gone. Your cooking them anyway so who doesn't want a little protein with dinner.


----------



## CWlake (Mar 28, 2016)

Captain, I agree with you. I have never seen the troll that makes the holes. I cut them in half and scrape out the loose stuff, end of story. The taste is the same either way. Yummy!!!


----------



## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

If you really need them bad enough, there's a store in Birmingham that has chants for $50 lb. Also morels for $60 lb.


----------



## Mushroom Jack (May 28, 2009)

Go Up North ! I'm in Lewiston and less then 5% are wormy up here. I have 2 types of yellow chanterelles around me, C. flavus and phasmatis. Both are great eating. I


----------



## jschlenke (Jul 8, 2013)

When do you usually see the first flush up there Jack?


----------



## Mushroom Jack (May 28, 2009)

jschlenke, they usually appear in July after some good rains. I hear they're finding a few downstate, Maybe they'll be early this year.


----------



## ajc1 (Jan 5, 2012)

I am in manistee when should I start nosing around chanterelles in my area .


----------



## jschlenke (Jul 8, 2013)

Picked a few yesterday, bugs already tunneling. I'd say you're coming any time now AJC but we're going to need a good bit of rain to get any real action.


----------



## ajc1 (Jan 5, 2012)

jschlenke said:


> Picked a few yesterday, bugs already tunneling. I'd say you're coming any time now AJC but we're going to need a good bit of rain to get any real action.


about 4 days ago we got heavy rain.


----------



## ajc1 (Jan 5, 2012)

jschlenke said:


> Picked a few yesterday, bugs already tunneling. I'd say you're coming any time now AJC but we're going to need a good bit of rain to get any real action.


what county was your mushroom


----------



## rugbym10sflyu (Jan 19, 2011)

at least where I look downstate, it seems that first flush take a looong time to be big enough to pick, giving the protein more time to burrow in, but after they start popping I find that a greater proportion have very few bugs


----------



## MrJosePetes (Feb 8, 2013)

Same problems here. I just started hunting chants last year. Downstate 80% were buggy.I went up north and it was about 10%; unfortunately it got dry once they came up in that area so the size wasn't as big but the hunting was great. I haven't been out yet this year... Thought about it last weekend but figured I'd give em another week. Now I'm thinking that was a mistake and I'll probably find them buggy and nasty. But I'll post my finds. Good luck everyone.


----------

