Termites

[Xtrl9]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum here and also new to the "law of seasons". I've always used the 1" per year standard no MM but I'm getting one soon and had been doing the old school, buck/split in winter/spring so you can season it over the summer and burn it when it turns cold again. That being said, I don't discriminate about what gets in my pile. I'll take anything that's down or dead and leaning and stack it, I've had some fungi on wood, ants, centipedes, ear wigs, bees a few times...But today I was recovering some wood that I had been driving by for a while and this is what I found. Looks like termites to me but I'm not an expert, what if anything can be done about it? Should I worry about them starting to snack on my other wood? On my log cabin house?

 

[GeHmTS]

Personally, I wouldn't knowingly bring termite infested wood back to my residence. What good can come from it?

 

[Wood Duck]

I can't tell from the photo if those are termites or not. It looks like they are on the surface of termites borrow into the wood.

 

[GeHmTS]

For me, there's enough wood without problems to choose from. A wise wood burner once told me, "if it looks like termites, leave it to them because there is plenty more wood where that came from?

 

[Xtrl9]

I've never had termites before. I did know they burrow into wood but I've never seen anything like the picture behind the bark. I'm not so in love with the idea of them eating my house; I will chuck that wood if nobody can id what they are soon to be on the safe side

 

[neverbilly]

Your picture isn't in focus very good but, yes, even out of focus, looks exactly like termites. They are about 1/4" long when mature. Young ones will be a little smaller. Upon them being knocked out of where they were, if it's cold, they might be sluggish, might not. But they will start crawling once they wake up. Around here, they are everywhere. Very common. I told my gf just yesterday, we have to get the pest control man to make sure he is treating the house for termite prevention because we have so many around the place, and in some firewood.

 

[beatlefan]

Looks like termites to me. I'm assuming you pulled some bark away from that spot? I'd leave it alone. If you bring it home, they'll relocate as soon as the wood they're living in dries out. That is when you have to worry about them getting to your house.

 

[Xtrl9]

Well sounds like my fears have been confirmed. Going to load it back up and drive it way away from my house and let it rot. Thanks y'all

 

[neverbilly]

BTW, I guess it's not possible to tell where the queen is from looking at wood, but if her chamber is not in your firewood, I guess the workers (the ones you see) can't reproduce. So, the workers are not much threat? I defer to a termite expert. Some insects do some strange things, like morphing into the other sex, lol.

 

[blades]

Well seems some humans have adapted that function as well

 

[Paulywalnut]

Unless you have an Aardvark I would not bring it in. I don't think they can survive without a Queen.