Bullet Galls

Oak Rough Bulletgalls are at the hub of a buzz about wasps and flies swarming oaks belonging to the white oak group. The sturdy galls are produced under the direction of the tiny gall-wasp. The gall structure includes extrafloral nectaries that exude nectar to entice stinging and biting insects that provide protection.

Rough Oak Bulletgalls induced by the gall-wasp, Disholcaspis quercusmamma (family Cynipidae) are splitting through the bark and rising on the stems of oaks in the white oak group in southwest Ohio. The galls are most commonly found on bur (Quercus macrocarpa), white oak (Q. alba), and swamp white oak (Q. bicolor).