Hi,
I live in an apartment complex that has a small building in the back with storage rooms for the residents (it’s just a long building with about 12 doors). I have been storing lumber there for a couple of months. Today I went to go get some cherry and in one of the boards there are about 20 small (1/16th in. diameter?) holes on one face and a couple on one side. I also saw a tiny white bug crawling across it, which I assume is a termite. All the cherry I had was already surfaced, and I only found this problem in one board. I have at least 100 bf. of rough maple in there too, and although a quick lookover showed nothing, I am obviously worried. What can I do in this little storage shed to get rid of the termites? I’d also like to know what I should do to the board with all the holes in it in order to kill all the termites. Should I be worried about the other pieces of cherry, even though they look fine? I don’t know anything about termites and have never had to deal with this problem before. The storage room is about 8 ft. tall by 8 ft. deep by 5 ft. wide. The interior walls are all OSB. The outside of the building is vinyl siding, if that matters.
Thanks!
David
Replies
Dear David,
Not a pro bug guy, but I have come across termites a couple of times in my life as a contractor and I can tell you that they are bad news. BAD. Ants have the decency to be pretty methodical in their pursuits, in that, they eat one are and then move on. Termites are more like cancer, slow, insidious and go everywhere. I would call an exterminator who specializes in termites, if indeed that is your problem. My understanding is they are subterranean critters and the nests can be pretty deep underground, so complete elimination is no easy task. Chances are, if you found them in your lumber, they are through out the apartment complex or at least the shed. I would also contact the owner of the apartment complex, because they will want to know and their insurance may cover the bill.
John
Hi,Thanks for responding. If an exterminator comes, will what he does kill the bugs that may be in my wood? Should I try and move my lumber somewhere else? Also, the building sits on a concrete foundation, I'm not sure how they are getting in, it seems pretty well sealed.Also, I'm building a coffee table out of this cherry, should I do anything to the wood before I continue building? I would guess that whatever finish I put on there would trap and kill any of them if they were left, but I don't want to build this thing and then start seeing holes in it a few weeks later.Thanks again,David
Perhaps the exterminator will say differently, but I have found termites to be pretty fragile. I am not sure what to say about potentially infested pieces, my inclination would be to burn them, but again, the exterminator would be the person to ask as they should have a good idea as to their habits.
As far as entry goes, a hairline crack in the foundation is adequate, they as persistent little things. Look for mud tunnels that they build. They do not like the light and will build tunnels to protect themselves.John
I think you have powder post beetle, not termites. Google that, or go here:
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/powderpostbeetles.htm
At the bottom of that article there are recommendations for treatment. Good luck!
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
Hmm, from the picture on that website it looks like the holes may be powderpost beetles instead. For the two sprays they mention, are they safe to use on hardwood? They mention OSB and decks, etc, but nothing about wood used for furniture building. Do you have a preference over Timbor or Boracare? Timbor seems cheaper. I will probably call a local pest control company to see what they reccommend.ThanksDavid
I haven't used either one. The active ingredient is borate, which should have little or no effect on the wood; but if one of them is carried in an oil, I'd avoid that - it might interfere with the finish on your furniture.You basically just need to protect the wood until you make furniture out of it - once finished, it is not as susceptible to these bugs.The pest control guys might be able to help, but I'd do a lot of research on my own as well. You should be able to contact the manufacturers and find out if their products are recommended for hardwood lumber, and whether there is any effect on the color or if it will interfere with finishes."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
I would worry more about your house than the wood...
Take some of the bugs to a local exterminator and ask them.. May cost you a bit but worth a try.. Some colleges have labs that can check it out for you
Ah, termites. We have them in every dead tree branch in Hawaii. They look like hotdog shaped white bugs when they come out of the wood and have wings when they are swarming to start new colonies. Then there are the subterranean "Formosan termite". These are the primary damagers on structures and they form underground colonies that are HUGE. They eat wood, mortar, romex, paper, books, etc. You may be seeing powder post beetles if there is white powder under or around the holes. they like sapwood and are easily controlled with diatomaceous earth. Whatever you use on your bugs, remember can come back to you when you work the material later. Gas fumigation is best. aloha and good luck, mike
Ah, termites. We have them in every dead tree branch in Hawaii. ???Dang.. And I thought nothin' in Hawaii BIT anything?
I agree that it is probably a powder post beetle problem. No telling how big the infestation is at this point. Sometimes the critters stick around for quite a few generations sometimes they just up and leave for no apparent reason, maybe they get sick of a particular wood. At any rate I posted a few weeks ago on the matter on this forum. Do a search and read my recommendations for a product I have used with much success.
Hi DRH. I don't know how helpful this might be but I once read that if you can reduce the temperature of the timber to below freezing and hold it there for a couple of hours wood worm will be killed. The problem is of course getting a large enough freezer to contain the wood which needs treating. Just an idea if it helps
Woodsy
I don't know if that is a myth or not. I lived in Minnesota for many years and we'd have -15 to -20 spells for a couple of weeks at a time. and low and behold the following spring I'd see the buggers emerge from their hideout.
Not sure why he didn't just post it here, but Ted's recommendation was Tetra Octoborate. Here's the thread. I'm not recommending it, just providing the link.
BTW, finishing the wood doesn't eliminate problems with the pests. Go to any auction house that imports antique furniture from Europe and you're bound to see a piece or two that has the tell-tale powder residue from active beetles. They're boring out right through the finish.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The reason old furniture has Powder Post Beetles is because the buggers get in through some crack or crevice that hasn't been encapsulated in finish and then they start to do their dirty work. Powder Post Beetles generally won't munch on wood if it has a protective finish on it.
They may not enter the wood when it has finish on it, but if you build a piece of furniture out of infested wood, they will -- when the mood strikes them -- exit, finish or no. How important this is depends on how one feels about "worm holes" I guess.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Bugs get into anything..Old tank guy here and I have found bugs in there.. Especially spiders!
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