Termites in the Osage Orange logs I bought.

[enduring]

I bought about 20 or 30 Osage orange posts from a guy, for fencing. It looks like some might have termites, when we stacked it at home! lots of saw dust shacking out. I know nothing about termites as a risk. Could I pass these suckers to my regular wood stacks 20 feet away, or my house 80 feet away? Here are 8 of the offending post.

 

[enduring]

I looked at several other posts on this forum regarding termites. One recommended treating the wood. These will be used for a fence and in several places the posts will be set next to the house. Is there a risk of infesting my house? One comment on the “Termite” post said that the queen flies in the spring. Where do the queens live, in the ground? Any comments would be welcome. Thanks.

 

[GadDummit]

If you have termites then yes, they will spread if you don't get them under control. I personally use Termador on all my wood. It kills ants and termites both, and it's not toxic to put in the fireplace. Works almost as well as wasp spray does on wasps, and it's cheap too. Just mix it up in a 1 or 2 gallon sprayer and go to town.

 

[BigJ273]

They will absolutely spread. They are foragers. They search and eat wood non stop. I would not risk putting them anywhere near my house, treated or not, if I saw activity. Just my opinion.

 

[stoveliker]

But if you are in termite country and you have trees on your property, they already ARE in the ground around your home. I don't think this would change anything.

Moreover, termites here do not really create sawdust in my experience. Why? They eat the wood instead of boring tunnels to make a home.

@EatenByLimestone ?

 

[Rusty18]

Like they said termites make mud not saw dust. Cut one up and see what the inside looks like. If there are termites in them they won’t last long as a post anyways?

 

[Corey]

I've seen a bunch of carpenter ants in osage and other logs, though relatively few termites. The carperter ants seem to make more sawdust / powder where the termites make mud as others have mentioned. Either way, the issue remains... insects in the wood. Seems like you'd definitely want to treat the wood and keep it away from any structures.

 

[SpaceBus]

Just put the dusty posts far away from your house if you are worried. Let them dry and most bugs won't/can't bother them. If there are carpenter ants in the posts check them for integrity before setting them in the ground. If they have already begun to rot, then they might be a bust anyway.

 

[Stinkpickle]

Yeah, I would use metal posts near the house.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Termites eat the wood, so there isn't any saw dust. The mud tubes are there to keep the humidity up.

Before central heating, termites weren't an issue, yet they were in barns, houses, etc. The reason why is they like 50F+. Barns were unheated, the termites could only do a little bit of damage, then be forced to relocate or die.
Treatment won't last long in a fence post. The weather will wash the treatment out. Where does that runoff go? That said, if there aren't any live termites colonies in the post, I wouldn't worry about it. They're gone. It's an abandoned house.

I really hate seeing people suggesting others go out any buy neurotoxins to spray around their home and family. Termites are one of the hardest things to get rid of, and some truly horrible methods of treatment are still commonplace. Trenching and pouring pesticides into the ground by the gallon as well as injecting it under pressure down to the footings are common strategies that get those neurotoxins into our groundwater. I'm all for DIY treatments, but with termites this is a bad idea. There's a difference between spraying an ounce of aerosol on a wasp nest and pouring 20 gallons of product in 60 feet of trench, as Termidor's instructions say to do.

I'm probably. biased as I own a pest control company. I just see homeowners do some really stupid stuff that endangers them and their family.

Chitin inhibitors are a very safe way of dealing with termites.

 

[enduring]

I will show this thread and pictures to my husband. He is certified to apply chemicals for pest and needs to update his cert periodically as a farmer in Iowa. What I see is clearly sawdust. So it may have been carpenter ants from the farm that came from. Carpenter ants are definitely around.

Thank you all for responding. We were going to use either straight treated poles or steel poles next to the building, and gates as needed, to prevent gaps so puppies don't get out. These post are lovely IMHO, and I love seeing them used.

QUESTION: If the posts get set in concrete does that mitigate the danger of soil transmission of termites, if they are there? or do they only move when the queen establishes a new colony. I had planned to set 2 pole, in concrete, near the house to fasten a shade sale to 2 post further away. Good to hear about cold weather not being hospitable to termites.

I have installed the beginnings of an espalier frame for 3 apple trees. I show this picture to show off these great looking post that will also go into my yard fence:

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I deal with carpenter ants simply by putting the logs on the hot, sunny driveway. They don't like the conditions, and birds probably eat them. Then I move those logs to the regular stacks.

 

[JimBear]

I will show this thread and pictures to my husband. He is certified to apply chemicals for pest and needs to update his cert periodically as a farmer in Iowa. What I see is clearly sawdust. So it may have been carpenter ants from the farm that came from. Carpenter ants are definitely around.

Thank you all for responding. We were going to use either straight treated poles or steel poles next to the building, and gates as needed, to prevent gaps so puppies don't get out. These post are lovely IMHO, and I love seeing them used.

QUESTION: If the posts get set in concrete does that mitigate the danger of soil transmission of termites, if they are there? or do they only move when the queen establishes a new colony. I had planned to set 2 pole, in concrete, near the house to fasten a shade sale to 2 post further away. Good to hear about cold weather not being hospitable to termites.

I have installed the beginnings of an espalier frame for 3 apple trees. I show this picture to show off these great looking post that will also go into my yard fence:

I highly doubt you have termites in those posts, most likely some type of ant. The ants will vacate the posts as they dry, those hedge post will cure with time, get super hard, be very stable & solid.

I would not set your posts in concrete, they will most likely heave over time. Gravel will be the best, if you just use the clay from digging the hole & tamp it good about every 8”-12” it they will be very solid.

Your Hedge posts will outlast those creosote post 2-3 times. A nice 10” - 12” Hedge post will make a great corner/hinge post. I always cut line posts at 8’ , braces at 9’ , corners @ 10’. Put your lines in @ 36” & corners in @ 4’-5’ depending on preference.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Take pics of the sawdust and the holes in the wood. Different insects cause different types of damage.

Setting them in concrete won't stop a termite. They are small enough to go through cracks in foundation walls. Where they can't find a crack, they'll build a mud tube out of sand and feces to protect them when they exit the ground. They build the tube to keep the humidity up.

 

[JimBear]

Here is some Osage I cut & stacked last fall/this spring there is a few piles of sawdust on it. I am no too worried about it in this stack or any of the other stacks, the ants will vacate.

 

[JimBear]

Another bonus of Osage over creosote post is you can make firewood out of the Osage if the fence is ever taken out, I wouldn’t want to burn a nasty old creosote post.
Here is some 3-4 year cut/stacked Osage with no sawdust or ants




And some 35-50 year aged Osage with no sawdust or ants

 

[clancey]

So afraid of that happening and when I start my wood pile it will be kiln dried as well as store brought logs for now...Hope you contained it and did not bring it to your wood...clancey

 

[enduring]

The osage was cut early this year. I am thinking something hatched out of it by the looks of it. its sawdust for sure on the osage. We have had osage post for 60 years in one of our pastures and they still stand. I designed this yard fence, to my husbands chagrin, though not embarrassment. He is going along with the plan. Ive been collecting the post from southern Iowa since early spring. I am just now noticing the sawdust exit holes on the post, that I did not see before. Both the new set, and the set from the spring are now sawdusty. They both came from the same farm/timber. The other logs I got elsewhere do not have this sawdust.

the last 2 photos show a nearby locust firewood pile, cut in early spring 2020, and cut and split that summer. Is this termite damage? if it is it has been out through the Iowa winter, so likely all dead, from my understanding.

 

[enduring]

JimBear, that second picture of yours, in your post before your post with the log stacks, is exactly what my pile looks like. Thanks for sharing those photos.

 

[stoveliker]

The osage was cut early this year. I am thinking something hatched out of it by the looks of it. its sawdust for sure on the osage. We have had osage post for 60 years in one of our pastures and they still stand. I designed this yard fence, to my husbands chagrin, though not embarrassment. He is going along with the plan. Ive been collecting the post from southern Iowa since early spring. I am just now noticing the sawdust exit holes on the post, that I did not see before. Both the new set, and the set from the spring are now sawdusty. They both came from the same farm/timber. The other logs I got elsewhere do not have this sawdust.

the last 2 photos show a nearby locust firewood pile, cut in early spring 2020, and cut and split that summer. Is this termite damage? if it is it has been out through the Iowa winter, so likely all dead, from my understanding.

Your last pic is not ants but some kind of grub-precursor to some kind of beetle.. (someone knowledgeable will likely educate us as to which type). I see the same in dead standing pine.

Ants don't leave these "worms" of sawdust behind (though they do give those piles outside of the logs).

 

[johneh]

You have carpenter ants
One can be seen plainly in one of your photos

red ants in wood - Google Search

 

[SpaceBus]

The damage under the bark is likely a beetle and the stuff in the wood is probably carpenter ants.

 

[CincyBurner]

Osage will get borers while it's alive. And they do get some BIG cerambycids.
Pics in post #18 looks like borer sign to me, and restricted to more susceptable sapwood.
Once seasoned, the heartwood of Osage and black locust make some of the best fence posts. Can last for decades.
Never particularly worried about termites with Osage.

 

[enduring]

You have carpenter ants
One can be seen plainly in one of your photos

red ants in wood - Google Search

LOL, thats why I included that pic. There were other ants and insects on the wood scurrying around too. I thought carpenter ants were black though.

The damage under the bark is likely a beetle and the stuff in the wood is probably carpenter ants.

the bark picture is of the honey locust firewood.

Osage will get borers while it's alive. And they do get some BIG cerambycids.
Pics in post #18 looks like borer sign to me, and restricted to more susceptable sapwood.
Once seasoned, the heartwood of Osage and black locust make some of the best fence posts. Can last for decades.
Never particularly worried about termites with Osage.

Thanks for the info about locust. We've never used locust posts only hedge apple (osage orange).

You all have really helped me a lot with this issue. Thanks so much.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Here is some Osage I cut & stacked last fall/this spring there is a few piles of sawdust on it. I am no too worried about it in this stack or any of the other stacks, the ants will vacate.

View attachment 279799View attachment 279800View attachment 279801View attachment 279803View attachment 279804

That's so fine I'd suspect a beetle. Do you have powder post beetles out there?