i would like to gather acorns for seeding in other places but was having a problem finding acorns that dod not have a worm in them! it seems i gather a few but in short order there will be a hole in them and a bunch of worms at the bottom of the bucket. how can i determine which ones have worms or will the ones with worms still grow?

Greetings Steve:

Probably the easiest way to test germination potential -- assuming the acorns you collect are capable of germination (non-aborted seed) -- is the 24-hr soak test.

Take your acorns and put them in a large bucket or children's pool. Fill the bucket/pool with water and allow the acorns to soak for 24-hours. The acorns that sink are generally considered viable, whereas the acorns that float are generally considered non-viable.

Granted, some "floaters" are indeed viable -- though the probability of germination is significantly lower as compared to the acorns that sank during this 24-hr period.

Yes, weevil infected acorns can still germinate; however, the success of germination and the overall seedling survival/competition rate is significantly reduced (Lombardo and McCathy 2009).