Hickory and bugs

[MoDoug]

With several days in the 50's.... the bugs are already out. With several rounds of white oak and hickory waiting to be split, I found it interesting that flies are all over the hickory, and not the white oak. They like it right where the sap flows. Hickory does attract bugs, but it's such good firewood.

Here's looking at you @Simonkenton ! LOL

 

[Lakeside]

One of the good reasons I do not like hickory. The bugs like it more than I do, way to much bug dust later.

 

[Eureka]

The bugs eat most of my hickory before I can burn it around here.

 

[Grizzerbear]

I split some big rounds of hickory this weekend and they are buggy. I noticed many flathead borers laying on the ground from the bark peeling off while splitting. The tree was solid through and through but it's just a characteristic of hickory... around here at least....that every hickory will have them. That tree had been laying dead for two years now but I suspect it had them while standing. I wish I had taken pictures of the honey bees that swarmed the faces of each cut on the rounds after sawing it up. They were going nuts. They are definitely buggy. I'm always amazed how hickory smells so good when burning but always smells like a pig lot when bucking it up.

 

[Simonkenton]

I'll drink to that modoug.
Too buggy for me. Plus I can't split it with my maul.

 

[fvhowler]

I have certainly found Hickory to be more buggy than Oak. For me it will season in 1.5 - 2 years. If available I won't turn it down as it burns good.

 

[MoDoug]

hickory smells so good when burning but always smells like a pig lot when bucking it up.

You're right. Whenever I split hickory I have to smell it every now and then, expecting a really nice pleasant smell, after all it does smell good burning, and it's good to grill or smoke with.

Now that white oak on the other hand!

 

[MoDoug]

I know the best approach is to keep it stacked well off the ground, but I wonder if spraying the hickory splits in the stack would help any. I know it's not preferable, but maybe use a mild insecticide that's approved for use in the kitchen or on vegetable gardens.

 

[Mutineer]

My daughter's friend's mom just gave me a shagbark hickory that broke off 35-40 ft up, and you guys have me wondering if I should even go over and drop it if the bugs are going to eat it when I get it on the stacks here. Very little experience with hickory round here.

 

[MoDoug]

My daughter's friend's mom just gave me a shagbark hickory that broke off 35-40 ft up, and you guys have me wondering if I should even go over and drop it if the bugs are going to eat it when I get it on the stacks here. Very little experience with hickory round here.

Personally, I'd be all over it. Grab what you can, while you can. Plus you can set some aside for grilling or smoking.

 

[paulnlee]

Must be location. I had a dump load of rounds(about a cord) three years ago and they sat til I split them last spring. No bugs or the usual sawdust and burning fine now

 

[fvhowler]

My daughter's friend's mom just gave me a shagbark hickory that broke off 35-40 ft up, and you guys have me wondering if I should even go over and drop it if the bugs are going to eat it when I get it on the stacks here. Very little experience with hickory round here.

Good BTUs, cut, split and stack it. Bugs will not ruin it, they just seem to like the Hickory more than Oak.

 

[MoDoug]

My daughter's friend's mom just gave me a shagbark hickory that broke off 35-40 ft up, and you guys have me wondering if I should even go over and drop it if the bugs are going to eat it when I get it on the stacks here. Very little experience with hickory round here.

The one reason not to, would be if you're splitting by hand. You need a splitter.

 

[Mutineer]

No problem with the splitter, it's 30 years old but still going strong.

 

[Stinkpickle]

My daughter's friend's mom just gave me a shagbark hickory that broke off 35-40 ft up, and you guys have me wondering if I should even go over and drop it if the bugs are going to eat it when I get it on the stacks here. Very little experience with hickory round here.

.

It’s worth it.

 

[Stinkpickle]

Bugs eat up my honey locust too, but it’s worth it. I would never turn down hickory.

 

[MoDoug]

Bugs eat up my honey locust too, but it’s worth it. I would never turn down hickory.

Honey locust is my next project. We've met our neighbor once in 30 years, he owns the lot next to us, he just never comes up. When we met him he said to treat the lot as if it's ours. I asked about cutting down some dead trees and he said go for it, and he didn't mind if I cut down an extra one or two. He also said he would offer it to us first when he's ready to sell. So anyway, that's the background. In order to get to the dead trees I want, I have to cut down a lot of honey locust to get through. I'm building a utv trail. The good news is they're honey locust, the bad news is they're honey locust. Those things are downright intimidating and dangerous with those thorns. I've had the thorns go through my boot and gloves. I've had them slingshot back at me, they're like velcro, they catch any other branch near them. I'm afraid to drive my UTV through there before raking it over, they'll easily go through a tire. The utv trail is for our granddaughter when she's visiting.

So far I'm bucking up the trees and gingerly carrying them to a spot near the property line, where I'll dethorn them later.

 

[Stinkpickle]

Honey locust is my next project. We've met our neighbor once in 30 years, he owns the lot next to us, he just never comes up. When we met him he said to treat the lot as if it's ours. I asked about cutting down some dead trees and he said go for it, and he didn't mind if I cut down an extra one or two. He also said he would offer it to us first when he's ready to sell. So anyway, that's the background. In order to get to the dead trees I want, I have to cut down a lot of honey locust to get through. I'm building a utv trail. The good news is they're honey locust, the bad news is they're honey locust. Those things are downright intimidating and dangerous with those thorns. I've had the thorns go through my boot and gloves. I've had them slingshot back at me, they're like velcro, they catch any other branch near them. I'm afraid to drive my UTV through there before raking it over, they'll easily go through a tire. The utv trail is for our granddaughter when she's visiting.

So far I'm bucking up the trees and gingerly carrying them to a spot near the property line, where I'll dethorn them later.

Yuck. The only honey locust I get anymore is from high school kids who have already done all the hard work.

 

[Woody5506]

Funny you guys have the issue with bugs in hickory, and the dusty mess. They don't touch my hickory, but the locust is another story especially honey locust. For whatever reason, they love boring into it and creating huge clumps of dust. It ends up being such a mess.