I saw what makes those small holes in oak. Crazy.

[Soundchasm]

I find weird stuff interesting. We've all seen those small holes in oak boards or whatever, but I finally saw what must make them. I figured it was a bug. This looks to be a fungus of some kind. They had an almost Styrofoam texture and were much stronger than I expected.

I'm assuming that if I see these, the lumber was very close to the end of its life. It still blows me away how intertwined varieties of life can be.

Here's an old split with said holes.


This has got to be the culprit.

 

[Woody Stover]

Interesting..I also thought they were borers of some kind. I was just thankful that there were "seasoning holes" in that Red Oak.

 

[jatoxico]

Interesting..I also thought they were borers of some kind. I was just thankful that there were "seasoning holes" in that Red Oak.

Really! I can't believe the oak splits that sizzle on me sometimes. 4 yr thin little nothing...sizzle sizzle.

 

[Soundchasm]

Honestly, it kind of startled me when that thing popped apart and there they were! I expected them to start swaying like little tiny Cobras... Where'd I put that damn flute!!

Never thought about how much sooner I could burn ventilated splits!!

 

[Jags]

I think you will find the first pic was the result of powder post Beatles. The tell tale sign would be if you see little mounds of dust where they have bored in. The second/third pic I am not sure about but looks like that might be what remains behind the Beatles.

 

[Soundchasm]

I think you will find the first pic was the result of powder post Beatles. The tell tale sign would be if you see little mounds of dust where they have bored in. The second/third pic I am not sure about but looks like that might be what remains behind the Beatles.

These splits are about as close as I'm ever going to get to any Beatles, but I guess I DID see Ringo once. If you meant to get my attention you succeeded. Well done.

The first split has been inside so long there's not any dust to be found. I'll tell ya', those things in the other pics sure looked and felt pretty mushroomy. They had stretch and flex to them. If that's what a Beatle left behind I would certainly Let It Be.

You're probably right in pic 1, but whatever these things are pic 2 and 3 are leaving the same sized holes. I'm going to have to keep the investigation open for a bit.

 

[Soundchasm]

Here's a zoomed in bit.

 

[Soundchasm]

Ahh, Powderpost Beetles go after seasoned hardwoods. This stuff was plenty wet.

Introduction
Powderpost beetles breed in dead and dried hardwoods such as the dead branches and limbs of trees. Their presence is overlooked until they are discovered in stored lumber, rafters, joists, finished wood, and furniture products. As a rule, they enter lumber while it is being stored and cured, then later, emerge from the finished product. Old items of furniture and wood antiques are especially vulnerable to attack by the beetles.

 

[Woody Stover]

I think you will find the first pic was the result of powder post Beatles. The tell tale sign would be if you see little mounds of dust where they have bored in.

I had a pic of some Red Oak with the holes, can't find it now and don't remember if there was any dust.

whatever these things are pic 2 and 3 are leaving the same sized holes.

Maybe post powder beetles, then the fungus moved in and grew in the holes?

 

[Jags]

I am pretty sure of the first pic. The other is just a hunch. Yes..beetle not Beatles. Let it be.

 

[billb3]

Unless it was wiggling that looks like a oak mold that is growing well in the beetle borer excrement.

There's a white mold or mildew that has the texture of ricotta that grows in damaged red oak wood cracks where there is no or little light. It smells awful.

 

[CincyBurner]

I've seen these in my stacks too.
The white threads are frass (derived from German word fressen - to eat [as by an animal] / devour), the excrement/ remnants from wood boring insects. Depending on the borer can be powdery, or consolidated and packed tightly into "threads" and pushed out of bore hole by borer as depicted in post #7. Although it appears that white hyphae (fungus) can be seen in last 2 pics (top near bark) post #1, and post #7 (at very top of image).
Borers are a vector for wood decay fungus.

 

[St. Coemgen]

This has got to be the culprit.

Um. Well. No.

You are making the classic error of assuming correlation means cause and effect.

The fungus did not cause the holes in the first photo. Fungal penetrating filaments are much smaller that that. Cellular size. They do not leave such holes. But fungus can certainly exploit any prior existing holes in which to grow. In fact, borers often allow fungus, and other diseases, into trees via their holes, hastening their demise.

 

[Soundchasm]

I've seen these in my stacks too.
The white threads are frass (derived from German word fressen - to eat [as by an animal] / devour), the excrement/ remnants from wood boring insects. Depending on the borer can be powdery, or consolidated and packed tightly into "threads" and pushed out of bore hole by borer as depicted in post #7. Although it appears that white hyphae (fungus) can be seen in last 2 pics (top near bark) post #1, and post #7 (at very top of image).
Borers are a vector for wood decay fungus.

Appreciate your post. This may or may not be relevant nuance. When this was a round, it was clear that there was white fungus at the level of the bark. When I cracked the split open, that's when I saw these spongy little strings. They had strength and elasticity. They felt quite creepy to be honest.

 

[Soundchasm]

Um. Well. No.

You are making the classic error of assuming correlation means cause and effect.

The fungus did not cause the holes in the first photo. Fungal penetrating filaments are much smaller that that. Cellular size. They do not leave such holes. But fungus can certainly exploit any prior existing holes in which to grow. In fact, borers often allow fungus, and other diseases, into trees via their holes, hastening their demise.

Aw C'mon, I finally decide to start studying the Classics, and you have to tell me I made the classic mistake of starting with Classic Mistakes? I thought I had taken the subject area of my "original" mistakes about as far as I could...

This has been some fun sleuthing. I've also noticed that not all the holes have the stringy fungus. So it would make sense for something (but not a Powderpost Beetle in this case) to have bored the holes and then the fungus move in.

Let me just close with that, in my nightmares, fungal penetrating elements are quite large and have rows of terribly vicious teeth.

 

[blades]

Ah, "The thing that ate my wood"circa late 50's , early 60's B grade horror films.

 

[StihlKicking]

These splits are about as close as I'm ever going to get to any Beatles, but I guess I DID see Ringo once. If you meant to get my attention you succeeded. Well done.

The first split has been inside so long there's not any dust to be found. I'll tell ya', those things in the other pics sure looked and felt pretty mushroomy. They had stretch and flex to them. If that's what a Beatle left behind I would certainly Let It Be.

You're probably right in pic 1, but whatever these things are pic 2 and 3 are leaving the same sized holes. I'm going to have to keep the investigation open for a bit.

“Let It Be” I see what you did there. Well done.


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[hickoryhoarder]

I always thought they were a beetle hole. One thing for sure: very common in red oak splits.

 

[Manly]

I always thought they were a beetle hole. One thing for sure: very common in red oak splits.

Some years back after working 11 days non stop (no sleep, no rest, no food, Manly flat out) in a red oak forest, cutting, splitting, and loading, I discovered these very same vermin had lodged into my shins leaving the very same holes. I was at a loss on how to remove these pests when one of my mates dragged me out to the edge of forest, exposed my shins, where upon a large woodpecker settled upon my leg and began to feast on these juicy morsels. The big bird was shortly joined by his nest mate and within 30 minutes took care of my dilemma. Nature at its finest moment. Manly