greaseband

English

Etymology

grease +‎ band

Noun

greaseband (plural greasebands)

1. A band of sticky material that encircles a tree trunk to prevent insects from climbing it.
   • 1942, Homes and Gardens - Volume 24, page 37:

     In the case of young trees with a stake, the support should have its greaseband as well as the stem of the tree.

   • 1988, A. M. Clevely, The integrated garden, →ISBN, page 181:

     Tying a greaseband around tree trunks in autumn will trap many wingless moths as they crawl up to lay their eggs.

   • 2012, Margaret Bacon, Home Truths, →ISBN:

     Her head on one side to catch the best view of it, her palms all sticky, she managed to get the greaseband round the trunk.

Verb

greaseband (third-person singular simple present greasebands, present participle greasebanding, simple past and past participle greasebanded)

1. To put a greaseband on.
   • 1906, Royal Horticultural Society (Great Britain), Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society - Volumes 30-32, page 28:

     Where we have numbers of these insects is it worth while to greaseband ?

   • 1929, Arthur Beckett, The Sussex County Magazine - Volume 3, page 446:

     “He” was a golden pippin, bearing bushels of fruit sweet and luscious, though rather small; if anybody could have had the heart to scrape the picturesque covering of moss and lichen off the hoary boughs, then whitewash and greaseband the trunk, the apples would have been bigger, though never sweeter.

   • 1978, 415, The Garden - Volumes 103-104:

     Greaseband apple and cherry trees on which spraying is not feasible.

Anagrams

• rangebased, rebandages