Replies

1. 
   bill_1010 | Dec 09, 2002 05:36pm | #1

   bugs mostly attack the sap wood.  But that isnt always the case.   Heat and chemicals are your choices.

   You could create a makeshift kiln to heat the wood up to fry the bugs, or call in a bug zapper.

   If you have a barn full or walnut or cherry, ill just come and take it off you hands for you, its all junk now.... yea junk now.  Ill haul it away for free

1. 
   JRS47 | Dec 09, 2002 06:10pm | #2

   Thanks Bill. But I think I will deal with my problem and hang onto the cherry and walnut. The temporary kiln idea is a good one though. I just need to take a couple of days and sort through it all.

1. 
   crt2cu2 | Dec 09, 2002 10:08pm | #4

   JRS47,

   Tell ya what, I will match and raise the offer from Bill and haul the wood away for free plus throw in a 6 pack of beer!!  Seriously though, woodturners often zap bowls in the microwave to kill critters.  In the same vein, intense freezing of stock may also drive out or kill any bugs as will off the shelf bug sprays sometimes.  Good luck or let me know what kind of beer you like   <biggrin>.

   sawick

2. 
   booch | Dec 09, 2002 10:04pm | #3

   Malathion (Ortho or any number of manufacturers make it) sprayed on the wood ought to kill the bugs. It is water based so it'll soak into the wood a bit but it is probably rough sawn so that shouldn't matter for waterspots much. I'd let the wood sit for a month to make sure it dries out and the bugs are dead. Malathion is cheap but there are probably other products that would work as well.

   As an alternative I guess you could tarp the wood up in the new location and fog it with one of the whole house bug bombs. That sure worked for the cottage I'm building. I had black flies and the Japanese lady bugs driving me nuts. 2 Bug bombs in an 1800 SqFt house and a week of settling and the bugs were all laying on the floor looking to be sucked up by the shop vac.

   Everything (wood dust included) is toxic so cover your pie hole when you plane it. The longer it sits the less likely the bugs will survive. What kind of wood?

1. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Dec 10, 2002 06:18am | #5

   "Malathion (Ortho or any number of manufacturers make it) sprayed on the wood ought to kill the bugs."

   Why does anyone assume that a toxic insecticide "ought to kill the bugs".  Based on what facts?

   The type of infestation should be first consideration regarding remedial treatments.   I know of an instance where someone's logs in their newly built log home were infested with horntails.  Literally hundreds were crawling out of the woodwork on a daily basis.  Yes the home could have been fumigated but I simply recommended that the individual wait for the hatch to conclude -- there was no threat of any reinfestation.

   Each infestation defines the limits of how that infestation should be treated.  Spraying everything willy-nilly with some supposedly effective chemical is silly, expensive and potentially dangerous.

   So what type of critter are we dealing with??

1. 
   booch | Dec 10, 2002 04:57pm | #8

   "Why does anyone assume that a toxic insecticide "ought to kill the bugs".  Based on what facts?"

   Hey, if you can help in the entimological description of these critters have at it. There could be thousands of red backed teensi-weensi's that malathion couldn't touch.

   In my experience with pesticides as a consumer for yard, house, and basement the safest most effective product I've used has been the malathion. I used to be overrun by spiders when I first moved in the house 20 years ago. Light application with a spray bottle drove them out of the house. The same material under the baseboards drove the ants from the kitchen and applied to the foundation it keeps them away. Applied in the backyard it keeps mosquitos at bay for 4 weeks or 3 rainstorms. It biodegrades and is still dangerous if you are smoking cigarettes and doing shots of the stuff but with reasonable caution is safe after it dries.

   Probably you can find the correct bug and pesticide. Hopefully it will work better than weed-b-gone works on my chickweed. WBG says it will kill it but unless you have an IV of the stuff dripping on the leaves it is pretty resistant.

   For my money the bug bomb sounds like the best option if you can isolate and encapsulate the pile for a few weeks. As long as you are restacking the wood make sure to sticker it to get full distribution of the pesticide.

   I also believe the sun will come up tomorrow.

1. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Dec 10, 2002 06:56pm | #9

   The issue at hand is that if the pesticide does not reach (have contact with) the critters, it is ineffective.  Insect infestations have been discussed in many different threads at this site. 

   It is well documented, for example, that surface treaments of pesticides have no effect on organisms like powderpost beetles.  Effective sterilization of wood infested by this insect can only be implimented with either a heat treatment (kiln sterilization) or with fumigants (eg methyl bromide). 

   To recommend or use pesticides where they cannot be effective is irresponsible and potentially dangerous.  You consider malthion to be safe; I am not so ingenuous.  And you acknowledge that there are thousands of insects that malthion will not affect.  I recognize this fact and as such, I wanted more information regarding the infestation. 

   As a wood technologist (MS Penn State '79), I am familiar with certain insects and efficacious treatments regarding wood infestations.  When I cannot identify an organism, then my recommendation is to contact the Extension entomologist at the Land Grant University within your state.  They can identify and do so without charge (generally). 

   It's almost winter here in Orygun; I am not so certain that the sun will rise tomorrow though I am reasonably certain it will rain!

1. 
   booch | Dec 10, 2002 11:54pm | #10

   No doubt yours is the most effective method to kill the bugs.

   If the poster does that method (research, and treatment) it should be effective. The question in my mind is will they? And is the malathion or spray bomb ineffective?

   Yes I fall into the quick shotgun approach and have stubbed my toe more than once on many horizon. Finding the effort to just do a job, as opposed to conceptualizing, planning, organizing, waiting, and finally doing a job can be a stumbling block. Getting anything done is generally better, in my mind, than waiting for something that never gets done.

   I have a sensitivity to inaction. Too many friends & aquaintences show me plans, tell me of dreams, but never get around to it. True, going off half-cocked is/may be irresponsible but doing nothing is a waste of capabilities.

   I guess the approach is in the owners arena of influence.

    

   Edited 12/10/2002 4:15:17 PM ET by Booch

2. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Dec 11, 2002 06:17am | #13

   There was a lyric from a song from the early '60's that reminds me of your concept of getting anything done instead of nothing  --  I think it was something like "fools rush in where wise men fear to tread". 

   Yes there are plenty of dreams that fizzle to nothingness due to over-planning but sometimes, getting good information is necessary!

3. 
   booch | Dec 11, 2002 08:30am | #14

   Sure if it makes you happy, add me to your fools list."The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships-- and sealing wax--Of cabbages-- and kings, and why the sea is boiling hot-- and whether pigs have wings"

4. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Dec 11, 2002 01:08pm | #15

   As I wrote that it, something about it did not seem right to me and now in re-reading it, I see now that my meaning could possibly be misconstrued.  For that I apologize; it is I who is a fool for not being more considerate or sensitive.

   What I was trying to convey was that thoughtful action is sometimes better than action alone.  I would also like to find an easy way to state that with all my experience and education relating to wood and wood utilization, seemingly apparent, common sense or intuitive notions don't always apply.  This is due to the incredible complexity of wood and its fundamental organic qualities.

5. 
   booch | Dec 11, 2002 04:56pm | #16

   No problem,

   I try to reread all of my posts. The fire of a thought and a plan sometimes comes out in a manifold message. I only wish the spoken word was as easy to edit.

   Sounds like the bugs are beaten in this thread.

2. 
   johnhardy | Dec 11, 2002 02:29am | #11

   I picked up a pile of air dried walnut that had been stored outdoors, covered with tarps, for about 15 years, and it was full of termites. No surprise.

   The first thing I tried was to sticker the wood (about 2000 BF), cover it with a non-porous tarp, and throw about 6 bug bombs underneath. The critters laughed at me and continued chomping.

   Since I knew it was termites, I loaded a truck with the wood (I stickered it to allow for air flow), and took the truck to a business that fumigates shipments for overseas. Since I live in Los Angeles it was fairly easy. The cost was $250 and the wood ended up being termite free.

   I'm not a believer in bug bombs and termites based on this experience and would suggest that it wouldn't work with most bugs.

   However, there is one thing I thought of that might work and which I didn't use. My thinking was to sticker the wood and build a tight structure over it, with a small entry hole and an exit hole at the other end. Firing up a gasoline engine and letting the exhaust into the structure, and letting it run for, say, 6 hours, should produce enough carbon monoxide to asphyxiate any critters inside. But trying this would've been impossible for me because I didn't have outside space to build such a structure (so that I didn't endanger others ... I'd never try this in my garage).

   Good luck with your wood. You've probably got some amazing stuff there.

   John

1. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Dec 11, 2002 06:07am | #12

   Carbon monoxide??

   You people are scary!!

   Before I would go to the effort of creating a structure to CO'em (it seems like a lot of work to me), I would make a phone call or two to see if CO was actually lethal to 'em.

   The reality to me is that individuals with piles of lumber have an incredibly valuable resource that might potentially cost several/many thousands of dollars were they to actually purchase it.  And rather than considering that potential value and making some reasonable investment in its processing (whether it be sterilization or appropriate drying practices) they try to get by on the cheap.  Sounds to me like being penny wise and pound (Euro??) foolish, especially if the treatment/processing technique does not work and they end up with firewood.

   Your overseas shipment fumigater sounds like a great resource.  What a great tip!  If my math is correct, that professional solution added 12.5 cents per board foot to your cost (plus transport).  Sounds very reasonable to me.  How much are bug bombs?  And most importantly, what does termite laughter sound like?

3. 
   forestgirl | Dec 10, 2002 08:54am | #6

   Hey!  You have the same initial as I do (my real name).  Anywho, there is a very specific product marketed to handle what you're talking about here.  Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of moving a business today, tonight and tomorrow, so am short on time to track it down, but I saw an article on the preparation a few months back in one of the mags.   It's a liquid application, safe, works well.  If no one else remembers it, I'll try to get the info by Wednesday.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   StanleyNiemiec | Dec 10, 2002 09:33am | #7

   You may be thinking about borate salts.  The limitation of borate applications is that to permeate the wood, diffusion is necessary.  As such they are an applicable treatment only for green wood (ie where there is water above the fiber saturation point).