The death of a red oak

[MoDoug]

This double red oak on our lot died about 7 years ago, I cut it down last November and finally got around to splitting it up yesterday. I always figured that carpenter ants got the better of it, but after I started splitting I noticed the wood was perforated with tiny holes. It turned out to be some kind of wood boring worm, probably a beetle larvae. The first pic shows the double red oak in the middle of the picture, it was about 60 feet. One of the pics shows 3 of them with a couple more visible. I did run across some ants, and some kind of red roach looking bugs. It amazes me how these small bugs can bring down mighty trees.

On the bright side I got a lot of really nice wood out of it, and I guess the wood will season faster with all the vents burrowed into it.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Just like pine borers and ash borers. Small bugs, but they kill some of the biggest things on the planet.

 

[MoDoug]

Just like pine borers and ash borers. Small bugs, but they kill some of the biggest things on the planet.

It's amazing how specialized each critter is to only target what they're named for. It's in their dna.

 

[Mutineer]

When I get red oak with those larvae under the bark, I pick them out as I split and knock the bark off and then put little piles of 10-20 of them on a small piece of bark and position it on the sunflower seed bird feeder and the little guys get a special treat. I figure the birds like that soft chewy stuff better than having to knock the shells off the sunflower seeds, and the nutritional value is higher and more diverse.

 

[CincyBurner]

Many insects/ borers hit trees in already weakened condition. They just give a 'coup de gras' to the tree.
What I find amazing is sensitivity of these insects to stressed and weakened trees "sniffing" them out.

When I'm pulling wood off the stacks it doesn't take long for the wrens to discover and feast upon the freshly opened stacks.

 

[MoDoug]

When I get red oak with those larvae under the bark, I pick them out as I split and knock the bark off and then put little piles of 10-20 of them on a small piece of bark and position it on the sunflower seed bird feeder and the little guys get a special treat. I figure the birds like that soft chewy stuff better than having to knock the shells off the sunflower seeds, and the nutritional value is higher and more diverse.

I still have the other trunk to split, maybe I'll give your idea a try. I like to help the birds out also, but I'm not as dedicated as you are. Which leads me to a comment that @CincyBurner made.

When I'm pulling wood off the stacks it doesn't take long for the wrens to discover and feast upon the freshly opened stacks.

I've noticed wrens pecking around my log splitting spot, particularly the morning after freshly splitting. It's easy to see out our kitchen window, makes for some entertainment while I make my coffee. The wrens know and pay attention, whether they actively watch, or sniff out freshly split wood. When I run into a carpenter ant infested wood, I'll set it aside where the wrens can feast on them.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

About half of what I burn is red oak the last 12 years. I've almost never had a split that didn't have those holes.

 

[MoDoug]

About half of what I burn is red oak the last 12 years. I've almost never had a split that didn't have those holes.

Have you run across the red bugs that look like roaches?

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Have you run across the red bugs that look like roaches?

Not yet.

 

[Rob711]

I’ve seen those red roaches while working on my wood. What are they? And black beetles about the size of dimes

 

[MoDoug]

I’ve seen those red roaches while working on my wood. What are they? And black beetles about the size of dimes

I don't know what they are, but they can really infest some wood, because of them and carpenter ants I keep a can of yard guard nearby. Of course this time of year, they aren't very active so I'll leave the wood out for birds to pick through.

 

[usernametaken]

Red roaches are wood cockroaches. The good news is they aren't home invaders like the generic type of roaches we all fear. Although they will come inside at certain times of year as they are attracted to light.

Parcoblatta - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MoDoug]

Red roaches are wood cockroaches. The good news is they aren't home invaders like the generic type of roaches we all fear. Although they will come inside at certain times of year as they are attracted to light.

Interesting, it seems like all I ever see are the females, without wings. Thanks

 

[DiBurn90]

New to wood buring, this is our second winter with the stove. Been working in getting ahead on the wood supply, found a couple tree companies that will drop off trees for free. Score. Just got to find time to process it all.

Got a good score of some Pin Oak late this fall and I'm finally getting to splitting it. Found some larger larvae in the bark today, trying to figure out if I need to be concerned before I put them in my stacks. Thought it might fit in with this conversation.

From this thread and it sounds like it's pretty common and nothing I need to be overly concerned over? Split about half the logs so far and not seeing any holes in the wood, just the bark occasionally.

Included a few pictures of what I found, I think they are Red Oak Borer Larvae. Picture with my pointer finger for size reference.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Insect Borers of Fruit Trees | MU Extension

Learn about insect borers that affect fruit trees, including their biology, the damage they cause, and effective control methods to protect your orchard.

extension.missouri.edu

This link doesn't have the greatest pics for reference but will give you a general idea of what your looking at. That looks like a flathead borer. Once you stack the firewood up off the ground and it dries they should disappear. They do for me here anyways. I find them in a lot of hickories mainly. The main thing is get it stacked and top covered keeping it dry.

Edit: They may very well be called red oak borers where you are from. The mu link calls them flathead apple tree borers but I have never heard that term before.....just flathead borer. Sorry I put the wrong link @DiBurn90 lol. I fixed it.

 

[DiBurn90]

Thanks! Appreciate the info, I will take a look at the link. That is good to hear, I didn't want to add the wood to my stacks if it was going to infest them. Everything I found said they like dead/dieing wood so I wasn't sure.

I stack everything on pallets off the ground right now and am working on figuring out a woodshed design I hope to build this summer. This forum has been a huge help.

Edit: That was the common name on a few sites I found not sure if it is the official name but made sense since I found it in Red Oak. Appreciate the updated link. I agree that seems to be what I have.

 

[Grizzerbear]

I stack on pallets too and just top cover with old barn tin. I've been puttin off building a wood shed for some time and need to get around to it myself. If you haven't yet, look in the "show us your wood shed", for some ideas. Some of the folks here have some dandies.

 

[Solarguy3500]

About a week ago, I was splitting some apple that had been down for a while. Part of it was hollow and one was apparently the toilet for the mice that been living in it at some point, as it was packed with frozen mouse poop.


As I started chipping the frozen mass out of the wood, some larvae fell out, mostly the smaller segmented guys that I've seen many times, but then a few of these big, fat frozen grubs came out too.

Asked my resident bug/worm expert (wife) what they were, and she said Junebug larvae. To keep her honest, I looked them up online and she was right. June bug larvae. First time I'd seen those in wood.

 

[DiBurn90]

I stack on pallets too and just top cover with old barn tin. I've been puttin off building a wood shed for some time and need to get around to it myself. If you haven't yet, look in the "show us your wood shed", for some ideas. Some of the folks here have some dandies.

I haven't done a great job top covering my stacks, we came into a lot more wood than I was expecting from the tree services so my plans went out the door and I'm making it up as I go now. Everything seems to be drying pretty well so far the stacks get a lot of sun and good wind.

I have been reading that thread a lot, makes my small shed I'm planning seem completely inadequate lol. I'm getting a lot of good ideas though.

Our first two seasons have gone surprisingly well. I attribute this to two things, a decently dry wood supply and this forum.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Some folks don't top cover their stacks at all except the stack they plan to burn the upcoming winter. I just find it seasons faster and there are all around less problems...bugs mostly.... if kept dry. As you already know sun and wind is key also. You will be fine though. Just keep building up the stockpile. It's not going to rot stacked up off the ground for a long long time. If you do get around to getting top covers for the stacks you can use anything really. Old barn tin from a craigslist find, tarps, old linoleum flooring, old pool liners etc... Just make sure and weight it down with a few crotch pieces of wood or other weight so it doesn't blow off. Keep at it and have fun.

 

[Grizzerbear]

About a week ago, I was splitting some apple that had been down for a while. Part of it was hollow and one was apparently the toilet for the mice that been living in it at some point, as it was packed with frozen mouse poop.
View attachment 275192

As I started chipping the frozen mass out of the wood, some larvae fell out, mostly the smaller segmented guys that I've seen many times, but then a few of these big, fat frozen grubs came out too.
View attachment 275194
Asked my resident bug/worm expert (wife) what they were, and she said Junebug larvae. To keep her honest, I looked them up online and she was right. June bug larvae. First time I'd seen those in wood.

Can't say I've ever seen June bug larvae or if I did I didn't know it lol. I have seen the rat crap though. I run into that a lot here actually. There are a lot of hollow based trees due to years of old timers burning the woods off of brush and leaves and scarring the trees creating hollow spots near the bases. Always full of rat and squirrel crap.

 

[DiBurn90]

Some folks don't top cover their stacks at all except the stack they plan to burn the upcoming winter. I just find it seasons faster and there are all around less problems...bugs mostly.... if kept dry. As you already know sun and wind is key also. You will be fine though. Just keep building up the stockpile. It's not going to rot stacked up off the ground for a long long time. If you do get around to getting top covers for the stacks you can use anything really. Old barn tin from a craigslist find, tarps, old linoleum flooring, old pool liners etc... Just make sure and weight it down with a few crotch pieces of wood or other weight so it doesn't blow off. Keep at it and have fun.

Yeah I have noticed that seems to be a point of debate on a lot of threads. The previous owners built a small enclosure by the sunroom I have been using for the current winter's wood but it's not well built at all, had to reattach one of the walls this fall after it was loaded for the winter. Been pretty lucky on getting wood, coworker that lives less than 5 miles away had 14 trees dropped to build their house mostly various hickory's and a little white oak and two tree services drive by the house to get to their waste lot. I think I will be close to 3 years ahead once I get it all cut and stacked. wood was taking over the yard to to stop taking wood to keep the wife happy lol. It has been not to have something to do being on lock down.

 

[MoDoug]

While splitting some black oak today, I noticed this guy burrowed into one of them. Being the boy I am at heart, I pulled it out, and the thing kept coming, it was probably close to 2 inches stretched out. It turned out to be a Carpenterworm, I never even knew they were a thing, but anything with carpenter as part of it's name isn't good.