Worms in wood splits

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Welderman85

Feeling the Heat
Nov 1, 2017
352
Chesaning MI
I was spliting some ash the other days and found some of these little guys. What are they and what do they hurt. Thank you
[Hearth.com] Worms in wood splits
 
Just grubs munching on rotted wood. Generally not an issue as once the wood is dry they die. Chickens will make quick work of them if you leave the wood out. Good bait.
 
It's fun seeing these little guys coming out of the wood splits. Middle of January, frozen solid as marbles, bring the grubs indoors and they thaw and start moving. And the adults can fly, so they can lay 60ft up in hollow oaks.
 

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I brought a couple of those fat things in just to see what they would do. Amazing how they must have antifreeze inside to survive well below zero, then come alive once thawed. They were just grubs - can't really move much. Then it was even more fun looking up what they really were (stag beetles). Once the wood is seasoned, dry, and allowed to bake in the sun, pretty much everything vacates to their next life. Harmless. Not sure of the one in the OP.
 
Round-headed borers. No threat.
 
The turkeys always clean my stacks of bugs but if they survive they go in the stove.
 
Pine Sawyer larvae
The variety we have out here in the west can be heard munching away from quite some distance. They seem to prefer fresh white fir. The yellow-jackets seem to know what's going on when I start splitting wood. They show up and start taking big bites.

[Hearth.com] Worms in wood splits
 
Pine Sawyer larvae
The variety we have out here in the west can be heard munching away from quite some distance. They seem to prefer fresh white fir. The yellow-jackets seem to know what's going on when I start splitting wood. They show up and start taking big bites.

View attachment 251778
 
Very good dipped in butter
 
We got some firewood that had a lot of rot in it. Some of the pieces had what are locally called huhu grubs. Some people eat them raw and say they taste like peanut butter. I thought about it for a few seconds but couldn't get myself to do it!
 
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Often, as you are chopping firewood with any splitting axes during camping or in your backyard for personal or commercial use, you may have found some small worms crawling around in the wood. ... The good news is these worms are generally harmless. They are actually grubs, or insect larvae. There are a variety of different insects that burrow inside of trees and lay eggs there.