What Kind of Bugs in my Firewood?

[clancey]

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[Bad LP]

Nuclear is always an option. 😂

 

[Dan Freeman]

On a closer examination today, it does seem to be powder post beetle holes. Yesterday, when I was brushing the sawdust off the pieces with my hand, I must have been "plugging" up the holes, and that is why I couldn't see them, or they looked very small. Today, I blew away the sawdust, and the holes were visible. They look exactly like the old powder post beetle holes I saw in the beams (ash logs) that were used for floor joists in my old farmhouse when it was built in 1840 (an infestation that was treated many years before I bought the house).

As far as any borates, it seems very laborious to treat each piece of wood. I have over 3500 splits. The infestation seems limited to one area in the woodshed as far as I can tell without pulling all the wood out. I will concentrate on burning this area ASAP.

As far as Permethrin, I looked up several "brands". They all listed about 30 bugs that it is used for. None of the brands mentioned powder post beetles. Perhaps it would kill powder post beetles (I don't know), but once again, I would have to spray each piece since spraying it on the ground around the woodshed will have no effect even though that was mentioned in an earlier post.

It seems anything I found for treating powder post beetles, whether natural or chemical, talked about spraying directly on the affected wood, which would mean treating each piece individually. Another option is covering and conducting a full fumigation. Not going to happen on my end.

What I have decided to do is move any pieces with evidence of powder post beetles to a different area and only bring it in the house as I burn it.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Fumigation flat out scare me. I was asked if I wanted to get involved with it. I quickly answered nope.

Another of my guys used to do fumigation at the Port of Albany with Methyl Bromide. Scary stuff. At that company he used to do a lot of grain plants, etc. The stories he has! Lol.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I don't even like to touch a pallet treated with MB. I couldn't imagine the toxins left on the wood if I were to fumigate!

 

[sesmith]

Yes, definitely powder post beetles. I wouldn't worry about them in the firewood. Just don't store it in or close to the house for any length of time. We used to get them especially in beech. Never had any issues with them infesting our old farmhouse at the time. I never kept the firewood stack near the house and just brought in enough for a couple of days at a time.