Declaring war on ALB

[SawdustSA]

I am currently splitting some black wattle with a serious ALB infestation. Some splits have up to 10 small larvae crawling all over. Fortunately the bluegum is clean. Must be the eucalyptus oil.

So I did some reading and it seems that making a solar kiln might kill off the bugs. We are heading for our African summer and soon should have some 90°F plus days. I got some cling wrap from a friend and covered the holzhausen with it. I also added some mothballs and ammonia for good measure. I will check after a few months to see whether it has worked. I have enough rounds left for another HH, so will have 2 kilns going soon.

 

[Jags]

Be careful as to not trap moisture. Your wood will turn into a fuzzy mess.

 

[SawdustSA]

Thanks yes, the plan is to leave it closed up for a while and then I will make a vent at the top to create a draft and get the moisture out. I first want to create a sauna effect to get the heat up as high as possible.

 

[Jags]

Hmmm...know anybody from a trucking company? They often have tarps that need to be replaced (flatbed trailers). The heavy black tarp might just be the ticket.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd use a clear plastic wrap around the wood. I think a small vent at the top seems like a good idea, but instructions I have seen online say the only vent needed is at the bottom. Water evaporates into the solar kiln, then at night as the air cools the water condenses onto the plastic and runs down to sides and leaks out the bottom. I would expect the African sun would heat the solar kiln very quickly to a very high temperature. Adios ALB.

Is ALB the Asian Longhorned Beetle?

 

[SawdustSA]

Yes I initially also wanted to use black plastic until I read that most people believe that the clear plastic will generate more heat. My wood is also stacked on heavy duty black plastic with drain holes. I am hoping it will work as Wood Duck is describing above.

ALB is Asian Longhorned Beetle. I am not sure if we have the same variety here but from what I've seen on photos, they look very similar and do the same type of damage. I am keeping this wood far away from the house, just in case they like wooden flooring.

 

[SawdustSA]

OK so I have 2 HH with bad infestations now. They did not spread, I just had enough Black Wattle to build a second one.

I wrapped the 2nd HH with cling wrap too but then added the black plastic around it. I made a vent at the top on both and inserted a thermometer probe into the vent. I am basically measuring the hot air which is escaping from the top. I did this mostly to allow the moisture out. I will close it off again after a while.

We have had some warm days over the last week, but nothing like we get around January/February. Ambient is on average 77°F at the moment. I did a comparison one day: The clear cling wrap went up to 94°F and the other, with the black sheeting went up to 108°C. I must add that the clear HH gets more and earlier sun than the other but the black one soon catches up and exceeds in temperature. The hottest I have seen so far was 113°F

I will monitor the temps as the summer sets in properly.

 

[Applesister]

I have a feeling the plastic will cook the wood as well as the bugs. Very conscientious of you to make the effort to rid your area of this pest.

 

[SawdustSA]

Here is an update on my HH solar kiln experiment. Unfortunately, cheap moisture meters are not available in my country so I cannot give "scientific" feedback.

We had a surprisingly cool summer compared to previous years, so the highest temperature I measured towards the top of the HH was around 113°F. It appears that this was not high enough to kill off the bugs inside. I took a split from the top after removing the cling wrap and splitting it, revealed a healthy looking bugger, muching away at my firewood.

I must say, that when I made the vent at the top of the HH 2 months ago, I was surprised in the amount of hot, humid air escaping. I do believe that the firewood has dried out much quicker this way. Wrapping a HH will surely dry out the wood towards the middle faster as opposed to an open one, I think.

I only use this specific wood, Black Wattle, for campfires and BBQ and it burns well and gives off less moisture and resin than similar wood which has been seasoned for much longer. I am now thinking of wrapping my Eucalyptus HH's as well to speed up the drying process.

We are at the start of autumn now but we still have a few warm days left, although the warmth is of shorter duration.

 

[rideau]

I wonder if you had not vented if it would have gotten hotter and perhaps killed the beetles? Is it the grubs you are talking about? Adult beetles I would expect to exit the top if the inside got too hot.

 

[SawdustSA]

It was closed initially to increase the heat. I put in the vent later on.

Yes I was trying to kill the larvae inside the splits.

 

[Dune]

I wonder if you had not vented if it would have gotten hotter and perhaps killed the beetles? Is it the grubs you are talking about? Adult beetles I would expect to exit the top if the inside got too hot.

Yes, hot air rises, provide a vent at the top and it is gone.
for the is to work properly, no vent at top, plastic must no touch wood at any point (you need a framework to support the plastic, plastic must not touch ground.
As the tent heats up, moisture will condense on plastic and run down the plastic and exit the system. You can expect a significant reduction in drying time. Top vented will not work nearly as well as not vented. If the plastic touches the wood, the moisture will just wick back to the wood, if the plastic touches the ground the moisture can't escape. Not uncommon to see 140 degrees, which may or may not have killed a South African bug.