Termites

[ThunderMedic]

Splitting up a dead red oak that's laid in the yard all summer and while splitting I'm finding some termites in it. Will they die off with it split and stacked? I can spray the stacks with permethrin, but I'm hesitant to burn wood laced with that inside my house in the insert. Any thoughts? The outside inch or so of the rounds has gone punky, but the whole center is good strong wood. Once split, they are measuring at 25-30%mc.

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[gerry100]

Definitely would not spray it now before it has been stacked and had a chance to dry for 6 months plus.

Many confuse termites with big black Carpenter ants which will disappear when the would dries out.

I don't know much about termites but I'd wait and see what they're like after stacking and seasoning before applying any poisons

 

[ThunderMedic]

Definitely would not spray it now before it has been stacked and had a chance to dry for 6 months plus.

Many confuse termites with big black Carpenter ants which will disappear when the would dries out.

I don't know much about termites but I'd wait and see what they're like after stacking and seasoning before applying any poisons

These are for sure termites. But I've heard anecdotally, that termites will not survive the drying out that occurs when properly CSS and top covered.

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[Soundchasm]

Well, if there's no queen and no water, I don't think you'll have termites there for long. Getting them off the ground ought to do it. Termites will build a mud tunnel to cross concrete to get from the nest to a food source.

Permethrin is crazy stuff. There's oil-based stuff for livestock spray you can't use on clothing, and I read it's even added to cattle food to prevent flies from breeding in the dung. Also read it can be added to cisterns to prevent mosquito larvae. Don't know if that was drinking water or not. All my reading made me less scared of it. But it's a contact poison. Very bad for aquatic life in a pond and VERY bad for cats. There are reports of cats dying after physical contact with a dog that had a Permethrin bath.

I tried to find good sources so I don't think I'm spreading anecdotal lore here.

 

[blacktail]

If you leave those splits out in the open, the birds will do a number on those termites.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Splitting up a dead red oak that's laid in the yard all summer and while splitting I'm finding some termites in it. Will they die off with it split and stacked? I can spray the stacks with permethrin, but I'm hesitant to burn wood laced with that inside my house in the insert. Any thoughts? The outside inch or so of the rounds has gone punky, but the whole center is good strong wood. Once split, they are measuring at 25-30%mc. View attachment 201491View attachment 201492View attachment 201493

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Please don't spray your firewood with poison. Just get those suckers stacked and dried out and your termite problems will be solved. Worst case, spray the ground around the stacks when you are done. Even that is unnecessary, but if you need to scratch that itch...

 

[beatlefan]

Just don’t stack it close to the house...

 

[BenTN]

Could always use some Tim-bor on the stacks. It is nontoxic to anything with kidneys. We have used it for years in firewood stacks at the ministry and it keeps bugs and rot/mushrooms out of our uncovered stacks. Its not cheap but it is another option to traditional poison.

http://nisuscorp.com/architects/products/tim-bor-professional

 

[Zack R]

If you leave those splits out in the open, the birds will do a number on those termites.

Verified... I have come across some less than ideal wood in my recent scrounging efforts and the birds have a field day eating the ants and termites that fall out when split.

I separate these pieces into their own little pile furthest away from the house.

 

[Knots]

My "clean" wood gets stacked in the basement to get used in the depths of winter. Anything suspect gets put on the trailer and parked out front. I use that up first and it goes directly from outside into the stove.

 

[ThunderMedic]

Thank you all for the information. The house is cedar, so they won't touch it. I was worried about losing my stacks. Several weeks after being CSS and top covered, no sign of bugs.

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[hickoryhoarder]

I'm totally with beatlefan -- don't stack it by the house. In my case, I'd stack it in the sunny driveway on 4x4's, and keep an eye on it. I wouldn't burn anything that's been sprayed.

 

[Knots]

The house is cedar...

Even your sill plates?

 

[blades]

They will build mud tunnels vertically to get to a food source

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Get it stacked off the ground and they will go away as the wood dries. Termites don't live in wood, they live in dirt and feed on wood. If you break that connection between the wood and the dirt, the will likely go away and find an easier food source that is in contact with the ground. My drying stacks are up on 2x4x8, on top of cinder block which elevates the wood well off the ground.

 

[Sodbuster]

I'm totally with beatlefan -- don't stack it by the house. In my case, I'd stack it in the sunny driveway on 4x4's, and keep an eye on it. I wouldn't burn anything that's been sprayed.

I agree with keeping it away from the house, and off the ground, they hate dryness. Spraying it wouldn't concern me, if it makes you feel better; keeps them from finding another home, namely yours.

 

[Rich L]

Splitting up a dead red oak that's laid in the yard all summer and while splitting I'm finding some termites in it. Will they die off with it split and stacked? I can spray the stacks with permethrin, but I'm hesitant to burn wood laced with that inside my house in the insert. Any thoughts? The outside inch or so of the rounds has gone punky, but the whole center is good strong wood. Once split, they are measuring at 25-30%mc. View attachment 201491View attachment 201492View attachment 201493

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ThunderMedic you can put kerosene in a spray bottle and spray the splits.Kills them dead instantly.Works for me

 

[georgepds]

Even your sill plates?

Never heard of cedar houses... but if you google "cedar house builders" you find dozens of contractors doing it

Question... do termites hate cedar?

 

[Knots]

Question... do termites hate cedar?

I don't know. They love some Doug fir though!

 

[ThunderMedic]

From what I've been told, they do not like cedar. That doesn't mean they won't dig into the pine framing though. I'm a tad paranoid about them getting into my house. But with splitting, stacking, and drying the termites have disappeared.

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[Tar12]

You could always spray the perimeter of your home...

 

[blacktail]

Last time I had wood with termites, I used a weed torch every so often around my chopping block, then tossed the buggy splits out in the driveway where the birds cleaned them up. Before I grabbed the splits from the driveway, I hit them with the weed torch to get any bugs that were still inside. Flame and smoke went right into their pathways in the splits.

 

[ThunderMedic]

You could always spray the perimeter of your home...

That's been done yearly for 3 years.

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[Carlv123]

I put diatomaceous earth on my splits and stack them. Keeps the wood ants and termites in check.

 

[blades]

that stuff to them is like fiberglass insulation on us