Callahan's Kudzu Guard is designed to prevent kudzu from climbing up utility pole guy wires. After installation on a pole at the Coalition test site, kudzu immediately attempted to climb the wire shown in the first photograph, but was blocked by the guard (June 2005). By the middle of August the vine was still under control, unlike a control also shown in the second photograph, which is covered in vine. Note that the pole has a guard wrapped around it (the black band at the base of the pole), and it is also free of vine.

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One year later the unprotected guy wire has an even more abundant kudzu load than in the previous year. The protected wire is kudzu-free, as is the protected pole. August 2006.

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Guards: The Bottom Line

  1. Callahan's Kudzu Guards are effective at preventing kudzu vines from climbing guy wires and poles for at least five years. (Please read our disclaimer.)
  2. By eliminating large masses of kudzu on wires and poles, urban aesthetics are improved, tree infestations are reduced, and possible unsafe conditions are prevented.
  3. While some might find the aerial formations of rich green kudzu attractive during the growing season, the resulting "rats nests" along guy wires and at the tops of poles during winter are rarely agreeable to anyone.
  4. Kudzu is not killed by guards, only controlled. Like any control method, guards must be monitored during the growing season to make sure vines do not bypass guards by, for example, piggypacking onto other types of vines not stopped by guards (honeysuckle, morning glory, poison ivy, and so on).
  5. If existing vines are not removed from wires and poles, then these dead vines might drop or hang down in the future and provide scaffolding for kudzu to bypass guards.
  6. Guards cost about $26 each, not including installation.
  7. They cannot be installed by the general public due to electrical safety concerns and the property rights of utility companies.
  8. Click here for alternative kudzu control methods for small property owners.