Powder post beetles and wood storage

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bfitz3

Feeling the Heat
Jan 6, 2015
415
Northern Michigan
I have a good stack of seasoned maple/beech that has significant sawdust powder in the stack.i had thoughts of stacking in the garage, but found the potential infestation and thought better. Told a friend, and was told "everyone I know burns, stacks indoors, and has never had a problem."

Do I need to be concerned with the issue?

If so, Is there an easy way to treat the wood so I could stack indoors?
 
No
That is one insect that will migrate to dry timbers. It will infect other wood in your stacks. Someone here said they dont attack softwoods but I have plywood walls in my horsebarn and the walls are riddled with the holes and the powder. They have delaminated large sections of the layers of the plywood.
I guess they emerge from the wood in early spring to reinfect new wood and you can see evidence of them around windowsills
We have a detached garage/guesthouse we used to keep firewood in and I have found holes in the windowsill framing. But we finished it in rough cut knotty pine.
I have a cousin who sprays bug bombs in his basement. There are a few people I know that stack in their basement and it wigs me out.
I cut trees that are sick or infected with pests so I take the caution of stacking buggy, punky wood away from clean stuff and I burn it first in fall.
Also, bugs dont infect painted wood.
 
Everything in my garage has been painted... They wouldn't find their way in through the cracks at joints, would they?
 
Bugs that infect trees like wood boring beetles (Emerald ash borer) dont migrate to dry framing or siding or furniture but powder post beetles will. They leave tiny holes and fine powder.
Ive seen antique furniture infected with powder post beetle holes.
Ambrosia beetles are different.
 
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