Two out of five loblolly pine planks that I planed yesterday were eaten up by borers/beetles of some description. I have about 1500 board feet left.
Does anyone know how to defeat further damage?
I have considered spraying as best I can with 20 Mule Team Borax diluted in water.
Any suggestions appreciated. John McLeod
Replies
Are you sure that the insects are still active, in the (presumably) dry wood?
Treating the wood in a kiln would be the best way to deal with that much lumber.
-Steve
The wood is absolutely dry. It was cut January 6, 2002 and has been stacked (with stickers) under my shed ever since.
I cannot say that they are still active.
I have used very small amounts of the wood over the last few years and found no insect problems.
It would be a considerable effort to load it and get it to a kiln--more tha I have time to do.
Do insects leave dried wood alone? I thought powder post beetles came regardless?
Would the 20 Mule Team Borax work--even if I am not able to get to all the wood? Some of it is so fat that I doubt they will touch it.
Thanks, John McLeod
"Do insects leave dried wood alone? I thought powder post beetles came regardless?"
There are many different kinds of insects that infest wood, and the control measures vary. The reason I ask the question is that until you've identified what the insects are, you're flying blind, and your attempts at control are likely to be ineffective. Apart from kilning, there are no one-size-fits-all cures for all infestations (not including, say, burning the whole lot).
What do the galleries look like (shape, size, etc.)? Are they empty or filled with frass? If filled, is the frass fine, like flour, or coarse, like sawdust?
Here's some information that may help: http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/powderpostbeetles.htm. Considering the size of your stock supply and the potential economic repercussions, you should really consider finding someone with expertise and have them take a look at the wood and the storage conditions.
-Steve
Irregular in shape with tunnels that open out into "rooms" as wide as my finger . They are perhaps 1/8 from floor to ceiling--just an estimate
They are packed with very fine frass--like flour.
Take a look at the images here and see if any of them look like what you're seeing: http://www.forestryimages.org/search/action.cfm?q=galleries
Your description of the galleries sounds like bark beetles, which only affect relatively wet and (usually) dying trees. The typical characteristics are a relatively large central cavity with smaller tunnels that radiate outwards (formed by the larvae that hatch in the central cavity and eat their way out). But I'm no wood-boring insect expert, so I could very well be overlooking something.
A good way to check for activity in the dry wood is to look for little piles of frass on the ground or between stickered boards (use a flashlight).
-Steve
Thanks. The site with the pics had quite a large selection with more than one that was close.
I will be away from the computer for a while now.
Steve & John,
My sawyer has some pine logs that he will be stockpiling for several months and is concerned about infestation. Not sure what insects he is concerned with but here are some pics that show pockets of larvae still cocooned that will be hatching soon.
View Image
View Image
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
It's hard to tell from the photos, but if they're confined to the layer immediately below the bark, they're probably bark beetles and won't bore very far into the wood. That said, if the logs are going to be stored for very long, there's always the possibility that some other more serious infestation will occur.
-Steve
Steve,
This insects in wood thang is new territory for me, never had any problems, yet.
Any thoughts on possibilities as to what they might be, up here in the Northeast, near Canada?
I'll try to get more info. from the sawyer.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
FYI - There is a treatment that's relatively easy to do, cheap, and is 100% effective against all insects (and all life-forms, for that matter), and that's fuming with ammonia. It's basically the same procedure as one would use to fume oak for a mission furniture project:
Tarp the wood pile, and weight down the edges with bricks or shovelfuls of soil. It doesn't have to be absolutely airtight, just reasonably close. Wear a respirator rated for chemical fumes (available at big-box home improvement stores). Pour concentrated Ammonium Hydroxide into a disposable pan (can be plastic or steel, but avoid aluminum pie plates), place it under the tarp and wait 24 hours.
Uncover the stack and let it air out for at least 24 hours before using the lumber. The only downside to this procedure is that oak, walnut and certain other high-tannin woods will turn dark, and depending on how long you leave it in the ammonia vapors, the staining could penetrate up to a 1/4 of an inch. Pine is relatively insensitive to ammonia, and darkens only a little.
I like this sort of treatment (and have used it several times on lumber stacks stored outdoors to kill carpenter bees and carpenter ants) because it leaves no residue whatsoever.
John, chances are they're no longer active. That said, finishing will "finish" them off. Keep in mind, some pay extra for that kind of look.
And borax will not get them: an insecticide would. If you have a way of covering them in poly and fumigating ...........
Edited 5/5/2008 1:43 pm ET by blewcrowe
The damage is pretty extensive and is more than just holes--galleries instead (it is NOT termites).
I guess I could fumigate but would have to pay to have it done professionally. I once was able to get methyl bromide which I used to fumigate for my tomatoes but it is off the market.
What about spraying with "Spectracide"--I forget the active ingredient. Any resideue would be planed off anyway and would not be around to hurt anyone?
I think you can still buy house fumigaters (they sometimes call them "bombs"). These are used to rid buildings of roaches. They are a little can you open and walk away from and they set themselves off. I would wrap the lumber but for an entry point, release the "bomb", seal up the poly, and walk away from it for a day before gassing it off.
Or most insecticides off the shelf could do the trick. Most compounds today are very short-lived and broken down by exposure to light. Spectracide is an indoxacarb: it'll hang around for awhile but it's considered very low risk stuff.
what's loblolly?
there's no need to reinvent the wrench
Loblolly pine, Pinus taeda, is one of the southern yellow pines and the most important commercial species.
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