I was recently given several hundred board feet of mixed hardwoods that had been stored in a barn for years. Some of the softer wood (soft maple and poplar) showed pinhole damage from insects; I see now that the bugs are still active by the piles of powdery sawdust they create. Can anything be done to stop the infestation? Can the infested boards be used? And do I need to worry about the creatures moving into the oak, cherry, and walnut?
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Replies
It sounds like you have powder post beetles, which are one of the few bugs that will survive in dry wood.
The only reliable way to kill them off is to kiln dry the wood, although quickly freezing the wood in a freezer will also work. Allowing the wood to naturally freeze over the winter won't work because the bugs will hibernate if given time to adjust to the cooling temperatures.
This has been discussed repeatedly here on the Knots site, if you do a search you will find a lot of opinions but little proven approaches to treating the wood with chemicals. A Google search will turn up some good information on their life cycle and the problems they can cause.
I believe that the beetles can infect other dry wood, so I would be cautious about bringing it indoors or mixing it with other wood.
John White
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