Bugs I've brought in the house on my firewood...

[rideau]

I was reading posts on "what do you store wood in in your home" that dealt with bugs catching a ride into the home on firewood, and got to thinking about the bugs I have brought in that (a)I'm aware of and (b) I wish I hadn't given a home.

#1) The recluse spider that I didn't know about that bit my foot one night when I fell asleep on the sofa in front of the fire. Not good.

#2) Mosquitoes that come in (mostly in February) on firewood that has a bit of snow on it, and that start flying around as the wood heats up.

3) Clothes moths! First time I saw one walking on the wood I had just loaded into the stove, I shut the door fast. Have seen the same phenomonem several times since, and seen a few flying. Also have noticed them on my cedar shakes in the Autumn. Both surprised me. I'd never noticed them outside before. Makes me despair of keeping them at bay.

Have never to my knowledge brought ants or termites in on my wood.


So, what are your worst bug experiences?

 

[oldspark]

None to speak of in over 30 years, my wood is stacked in single rows in the wind and sun and bugs like moisture so no happy home for them. Maybe some parts of the country have more issues.

 

[northwinds]

I used to get lots of moths when I had a big woodbox that I kept in the house near the stove. Now, I keep a week or two of wood in the unheated garage and bring what I need into the house with a small steel garbage can. Maybe a moth or two during shoulder season now but nothing once it gets cold.

 

[ScotO]

I see spiders all through my wood, no moisture to speak of at all. Moisture is welcomed by some bugs but not all of them. Spiders like it dry. Never had a recluse in the house, but lots of brown and dust spiders, the occasional moth, etc. No termites or ants, if I'm cutting wood and find them in rounds those rounds never even make it home. Of I get into ant-riddled wood siring the cold months (when they are dormant) that wood costs saved for the maple evaporator.......after a propane torch bath on the ant cluster....

 

[melissa71]

A spider that had made a kind of cocoon, and two carpenter ants. The log with the spider was interesting. I saw the cocoon, and poked it with my finger, 2 long legs popped out and then tucked back in. I put it out in the garage. I didn't have the heart to burn it alive. One of the ants I accidently smushed when picking up the log and lost my grip. I put the other one outside They had tunneled out a little section and holed up in there. If I see a critter before I put the log in the stove, I set it outside. I know they probably die in the cold, but I just can't burn something that's alive, it bothers me.

 

[bluedogz]

I can't think of anywhere this army of stink bugs are coming from but for my wood. Those little buggers are EVERYWHERE.

 

[SlyFerret]

I only bring one load at a time in from the garage. The garage is unheated, so the bugs all stay dormant out there. The wood comes in and goes straight into the stove. By the time the bugs wake up, it's too late muahahahaha!

-SF

 

[lopiliberty]

I burn a lot of locust and locust seems to always be full of ants. I store at least a day for two of wood beside my stove to dry any surface moisture out of it and will occasionally find and ant or two crawling around the stove. When brining in the locust I check every split to make sure its not full of ants. If it is it sits in the garage until its time to go into the stove. The ants will appear to be dead but as soon as they come in my hot house they thaw out and come back to life

 

[begreen]

I've gotten moths occasionally, they are a pain and I have some holey sweaters to prove it. But mostly I get hornets that have sought shelter in the woodpile. If I miss them on the wood, they wake up in the warmth of the house and start buzzing around trying to figure out how to get out.

 

[oldspark]

"Most insects (except for those that live in arid environments) require a certain amount of humidity to survive"

 

[katwillny]

Mostly spiders is what I bring in to the house inadvertently. I from time to time hear my daughter let out a high pitch screech. Thats usually my queue to run down and kill it or try to get it out of the house. My son also helps with the irradiation process. I am always concerned about termites.

 

[Russ Davenport]

Ay I no longer fill the nice woodbox I had built. We have carpenter ant issues and termites in the area. I was thawing wood fireside one nite and noticed the top of log standing up was all Black, so I turned on the lights to find and army of ants crawling out of the log and on to the top of it. I freaked as there were hundreds!, so I tried to shoved it into the stove but it didn't fit? Had to fiddle around with the ants retreating to my glove but finally managed it in and then did a grid search on the hearth and killed a few more. Its happened again but now I check logs for holes in wood or loose bark before I put it to warm or eles it goes straight in.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a mystery bug that has infested my piles over the last few years. I can't identify it but they like to live in cracks and under bark. They are insects, coarse white and black diamondy pattern, don't fly, but crawl around in the house up on the walls, about double the size of a smallish grain of rice and 3/8" long. Antennaes, look sort of like a miniature cockroach. Stand up on their legs with body off the ground.

Any ideas?

 

[bryan]

army of stink bugs

Man they are bad this year. I didn't have any last year and thought that having the house wrapped with new siding did the job, but apparently last year was just an off year cause they are back full force this year. I don't think the temp swings are helping either.

 

[ScotO]

"Most insects (except for those that live in arid environments) require a certain amount of humidity to survive"

This is true, and my area had a very high relative humidity since early summer. This past autumn (like last year) was no exception to that rule, with Sandy and many other deluges of rain. Which is the reason I top cover the wood I plan on using in any given winter. I top cover that wood long before the autumn monsoons. But relative humidity is more than enough for the spiders to flourish. No ants, termites, woodlice or cockroaches in my stacks....but lots and lots of spiders......

 

[Blue2ndaries]

I've probably killed 3-5 yellowjackets this season inside the house. Other than that, an occasional June bug.

 

[ScotO]

I've probably killed 3-5 yellowjackets this season inside the house. Other than that, an occasional June bug.

I found some wintering (one here, one there) in some of my elm that I had ranked behind my tool shed.......kinda wierd.

 

[blujacket]

I've only seen an occasional spider, or a powder post beetle which quickly die by my hand or in the inferno.

 

[Ashful]

I've been bringing lots of stink bugs in with the wood. They make a very satisfying "pop", when you throw them into the fire. I only bring into the house what's going into the stove that day.

 

[bag of hammers]

I store at least a day for two of wood beside my stove to dry any surface moisture out of it and will occasionally find and ant or two crawling around the stove.

I do this also - I don't have a good woodshed so stuff just comes in from under a tarp and sometimes has some moisture on it that I want to get rid of. I have seen a couple ants inside so I keep a few ant traps in the area where the wood sits by the hearth, and also knock any loose bark off the splits when I'm picking them off a stack. Anything punky or otherwise suspect is relegated to the outside fire pit. I've had more bats than anything get inside so far. They do seem to like to drop down the chimney in the off season, or sneak in under an open door header in the wee hours.

 

[NSDave]

Apparently had one hornet or wasp; must've been a queen as the mrs said it was quite big. Probably a queen hibernating for the winter

 

[madison]

#1) The recluse spider that I didn't know about that bit my foot one night when I fell asleep on the sofa in front of the fire. Not good.
#

Any bites are bad, and I feel for ya, but I am very sceptical of a brown recluse in Ontario Canada. Some other species yes, but not a brown recluse.

I load the wood directly into the stove and do not store wood at room temp inside the home due to wife's arachnophobia.

Wood goes from outdoor stacks, to garage rack once per week, and have not had issues in the garage or home.

 

[rideau]

Any bites are bad, and I feel for ya, but I am very sceptical of a brown recluse in Ontario Canada. Some other species yes, but not a brown recluse.

I load the wood directly into the stove and do not store wood at room temp inside the home due to wife's arachnophobia.

Wood goes from outdoor stacks, to garage rack once per week, and have not had issues in the garage or home.

Wish it weren't so, but believe me it was. Touch and go for -over 48 hours. I was almost at the hospital over it. Have the photos to prove it. Necrosis around the bite, very significant involvement of a major portion of the foot, intense pain. No fun. Very scary situation, and absolutely classic progression of the bite. Forotunately, after 48 hours it stopped getting worse. That's the point at which an attempt at medical management is undertaken, if the bite continues to worsen...and care is required quickly at that point. And brown recluse are around here, and also around NYC. Not common,ut they exist. Documented bites. Just be careful around woodpiles.

I bring the wood inside every few days, so it doesn't go in the stove cold, or damp from driving snow.

 

[Waulie]

I thought brown recluses couldn't survive outside in cold climates? I thought the ones in NYC, for example, come in shipments from warmer climes and can establish themselves in buildings and especially basements that aren't too cold for them.

Anyway. I have a wood rack that holds about a day and a half worth. I'm not interested in having more than that inside even though I've never had any real problems. The occasional moth, ant, spider, etc. but those things have a way of finding their way inside in the summer anyway.

 

[Mackj]

Wood is stored dry in woodshed, than goes to unheated garage. I have changed from bringing a lot of wood in the house to mainly as needed. I think I use less wood now, and the stink bugs don't have a chance to get warmed up. Plenty of them go in the stove.