Resident Wakes Up to Noise From Neighbor—Left Baffled by What's in Backyard

Newsweek

6 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A Reddit post about a noisy neighbor has taken an unexpected turn—because the culprit isn't a loud partygoer or a barking dog, but a strange contraption hooked up to a tree.
On August 6, Reddit user GnomeErcy shared a photo that quickly went viral, earning more than 35,000 upvotes. It shows two car batteries connected to a garbage can and a backyard tree. The post's caption read: "My neighbor's tree, I'm 99 percent sure, has Dutch elm disease."
It is caused by three Ophiostoma fungi species, states Britannica. Despite early U.S. eradication campaigns in the 1930s–40s, the disease persists wherever the highly susceptible American elm grows.
While at first glance the setup baffled onlookers, the mystery was soon solved.
A stock image of an elderly couple and neighbor are in conflict near a wooden fence.
A stock image of an elderly couple and neighbor are in conflict near a wooden fence.
JackF/iStock / Getty Images Plus
"This pump is injecting fungicide into the elm tree in an effort to save it. Good on him!" one user wrote. The original poster later confirmed: "So funny enough, someone that works at the company that's doing the work saw this post, came over, talked to my wife, and confirmed what they're doing—treating it for Dutch elm disease."
Reactions ranged from admiration to amusement. "It's like a medical infusion pump, but on a whole different scale," one commenter said. Another joked: "Never seen a tree on life support before."
Why the Tree Needed 'Life Support'
Newsweek spoke to Mike Carthew, a geography specialist focusing on ecology and climate change, and owner of the gardening education site Garden Footprint.
"What you're looking at is basically a life-support system for a tree," Carthew explained. "That bin-and-battery setup is a trunk injection rig, pumping fungicide straight into the veins of an elm to stop Dutch elm disease.
"The disease, caused by a fungus spread by bark beetles, can kill a healthy elm in a single summer.
"By delivering treatment directly into the tree's vascular system, arborists can stop the fungus without spraying chemicals across the wider environment.
"It's a targeted, almost surgical approach: drill tiny access points in the trunk, hook up the pump, and let the tree 'drink' its medicine. Done right, it buys the tree years, even decades, of extra life."
Although he generally avoids chemical treatments, Carthew believes this targeted approach is better. "It's precise, effective, and far kinder to the environment than blanket spraying," he said.
Newsweek reached out to u/GnomeErcy for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.