Wood working question (bug?)

[Rowski]

My father has some old beams from an old barn. He has plans on using these beams to make some table legs. He has done some other projetcs with some other beams from the same barn a number of years ago and doesn't have this problem with them. The beams he plans to use now were stored under cover off the ground. There is something "digging" in to the wood. The holes are small, no larger than an 1/8". They leave a trail of very fine saw dust. See attachment. My father's question is What are these things called? More importantly how do you get rid of them? He doesn't want to bring the wood inside the house and infect the other old barn beams in the room. BTW, he is a skeptical about getting an answer on a "tractor forum". I said you guys seem to solve all the other world problems /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. Thanks

Attachment is 32K.

Derek

 

[treeboone]

You will know more by cutting into the timber. Some little insects, called "bores", bore into the wood and leave a very small hole, when it gets wet, the wood around the hole will stain. I think this is a digestive enzime the bore puts into the wood. It will turn some pine wood blue. If there are not a great deal of them, it should not be too big a problem. IF you cut into the wood and find the wood is powdery, then you have the powder post beetle and they can really render wood useless. Fortunately alot of these pests seem content to stay in the sapwood area. Leaving bark on a roughcut timber almost guarantees infestation. Most of the wood I work with is at least 10 years old and any bugs are usually done being active. If I see bore holes I pour Naptha (white gas) on the wood and hope that takes care of them. You could pour on the gas, cover with a tarp for penetration. Observe the normal fire precautions. I use naptha because it penetrates deep into the wood, but evaporates completely. Since there are alot of bugs that can infest wood, cut off a piece with a bug in it and take it to the county ag extension office or exterminator service. They should be able to prescribe better than me. By the way I got my Attachment Sales thumb installed on the Woods 9000. Will post pics in the next couple of days. Regards, Treebone

 

[scruffy]

When I was down in Georgia for a year and a half, I ran into something similar, it turned out to be a type of flying critter that looked similar to a wasp (?) but was solid black. It bored into the wood and left larva to hatch out. I used wasp spray on it, but have no idea if it really killed the larva.
I found them solely because of sawdust appearing on the hood of my pickup all the time. Dadburn things work as good as a good drill!

 

[DFB]

Derek,

I wonder if it might be what's called wood bees or carpenter bees.

We had very similar problem here at camp the framework is pre-1900 post and beam construction and there was a time we used to see small holes in the wood and find piles of saw dust.

Can't tell you much more, except that we eventually hired a specialist who drilled holes in the beams and applied a product which took care of problem.

DFB

 

[mbjacobs]

The wood bees in my part of the world (Texas Gulf Coast) make a 1/2" diameter hole, so it's probably not them. By the way Diazinon works on wood bees.

Maury Jacobs

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Derek,

I was going to suggest the same thing Treeboone told you. Looks like what we call a "Powder Post Beetle". I believe they are also known as "Pine Borers." The little trails of sawdust kind of clump together, right? In other words, the sawdust has just enough sticky to it that it won't blow away in the wind, but not enough to make it stick to your hands. Brushes off fairly easily, but it's not like brushing dry sawdust off your table saw.

There is a treatment for the little critters, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is. I'd start checking cans of bug spray. As an FYI, there are some handcrafters who like to make high end furniture out of beetle chewed lumber. They say it gives it character.

SHF

 

[DFB]

Thanks for the diazon tip. Thats what I was told our problem was. I've read that they can range in size from 2mm-3mm to the size of a bumblebee.

DFB

 

[Anderson]

I live in a log home, so I'm fairly concerned about wood boring insects.
This company carries some preservatives he could spray on the wood.


http://permachink.com

Nate Anderson

 

[gordon]

I'm guessing but I believe it's the powder post beetle. If you want to know for sure download chapt. 13 of this book only takes a couple of minutes. http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/FPLGTR/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm

This is your tax dollars at work. So may just as well take advantage of it. It's the woodhandbook.

Hope it helps
Gordon

 

[AndyR]

Looks like powder post beetle to me. The safest treatment I know of is a borax based treatment (there are consumer and professional grades of same). I'd stay away from Dizanon if you intend to have the end product anwhere around you.

BTW - powder post beetle likes sapwood. Just came across a reference to a beetle that attacks the heartwood - appropriately called the Deathwatch beetle (one hopes it just lives in Europe).

Andy in NH