Solutions for Pests in Wood

[Edward Bartimmo]

I am in Houston so everything grows bigger, spalts/decays faster, including the insects in wood that we harvest. We have the ususal suspects of grubs (some mammoth sized), termites, earwigs, silverfish, ants as well as some that are specific to certain woods like mesquite.

I have found that removing the bark (I use a 2" wide paint scraper with heavy metal blade) usually takes care of most of the would-be new invaders. However, any bugs already inside the sapwood are an issue. These ones aren't usually discovered until there is a pile of sawdust under a log or while cutting the log into blanks. Even then you still may get surprised.

I have tried eco-friendly bug sprays, toxic bug bombs, and most recently freezing the wood for several days.

I would appreciate hearing how everyone handles this and any new tricks.

Thanks

[Frank Van Atta]

I cut a lot of Texas mesquite and run into worms quite often - even after the wood has dried. The "meeting" usually comes about when I'm turning and start cutting into worm bodies. Solution? Microwave for a minute or so. Let cool, and repeat if necessary. Works for me.

[Allen Neighbors]

Lacquer thinner works best for me. Syringe into the holes, and if there are too many, drench the piece. The worms will die, the thinner evaporates.

[Michael Mills]

I have never needed to try it but I understand that if you put the blank into a plastic bag, add an open container of Ammonia, and twist the top tight; the bugs will be done for in a couple of days.
Mike

[Frank Van Atta]

I have never tried lacquer, but it sounds like an excellent idea. Ammonia - I would be afraid it would discolor/darken the wood (it is sometimes used for exactly that purpose).

[David E Keller]

I've put a couple of blanks in the freezer with success. (Use the one in the garage, NOT the one in the house:eek:)

[Edward Bartimmo]

Lacquer thinner works best for me. Syringe into the holes, and if there are too many, drench the piece. The worms will die, the thinner evaporates.

Alan,

Great suggestion on the Lacquer Thinner. I am guilty of having used Thin CA (bug becomes part of the workpiece. Some of my other attempts were to fumigate, but didn't like the idea of dealing with the toxic/coustic chemicals as I turn or sand wood later on.

Do you find any discoloration issues to wood after using Lacquer Thinner?

[Robert Arrowood]

I put a big chunk of maple burl in an old cat food bag.The 18lb size.We have a FEW cats LOL.Pour in some Borax powdered soap.Shake the bag every few days.And keep a check.The Borax depleats the oxygen and the bugs will die.

[Richard Madison]

Another method that has been posted in the past is to seal the wood in a plastic bag with a package of fresh mothballs. Have not tried it. Generally use the bowl gouge as a microtome, cutting them into very thin slices.

[Ryan Baker]

Fireplace.

[Mike Minto]

join the 21st century, Texan - Alaska is larger, the world is not flat and men have been on the moon...:p

[Nathan Hawkes]

Another vote for borax soap, combined with boric acid powder, for killing roaches. Pretty natural stuff; it comes from a mineral, right out of the ground. I think the only "surefire" way is to get it to 140F for a period of time. Pesticices, lacquer thinner, etc. can't penetrate completely into the wood; these are TINY bugs in many cases, and require even tinier amounts of oxygen, at least in the case of powder post beetles. Heat is the best.

[Edward Bartimmo]

join the 21st century, Texan - Alaska is larger, the world is not flat and men have been on the moon...:p

Mike,

I thank you for the invitation and insight. My brother is already there. Although I like time with a chainsaw, I was never that comfortable wearing flannel....lone enough having an everyday set of flannel and a fancy dress-up set of flannel for picking up chicks at the airport in Anchorage. What I mean to say is that I like 4 seasons a year (cool, pleasant going to hot, hotter than hell, and finally cooling off which translates to frozen, almost unfrozen, freezing and frozen in Alaska). According to my brother the odds of finding a single, attractive woman who isn't crazy in Alaska is same odds as spotting Big Foot... I think I will learn to sweat comfortably and continue to enjoy scantly clothed women whoare trying to beat the heat.

I will be visiting my brother this summer for a couple of weeks...I plan to ship home some wood if possible. I like field trips.

[Bill Rogers]

I have had success with wrapping the wood in a 3 mil black plastic Contractor's Clean Up Bag and then placing it on the dash board of a car parked in the hot Florida sun. I have read claims that with the windows rolled up the temperatures can reach upwards of 150 degrees.

Bill

[Allen Neighbors]

Alan,

Great suggestion on the Lacquer Thinner. I am guilty of having used Thin CA (bug becomes part of the workpiece. Some of my other attempts were to fumigate, but didn't like the idea of dealing with the toxic/coustic chemicals as I turn or sand wood later on.

Do you find any discoloration issues to wood after using Lacquer Thinner?


None at all, Edward. Also, the thinner doesn't affect the frass, so it is easier to dig out. I've used some other things that make the frass hard as the wood, so you couldn't dig it out with an air hammer. :eek: (A little exaggeration here, but you get the idea.):)

[Edward Bartimmo]

Thank you for all of the suggestions.

Off hand does anyone know if there is a significant difference between Lacquer Thinner and Denatured Alcohol? The reason I ask is that I already have a small bucket of DA for soaking small green turnings...seems like a good alternate use for it as the solution for my pests as well.

Thanks,
Edward

[Jerry Clark]

I use DNA in a bucket, and let it soak overnight-- it does seem to kill them! :D

[Paul Williams]

Dosen't using heat to kill bugs just risk more cracking?

[Frank Van Atta]

Dosen't using heat to kill bugs just risk more cracking?

It certainly does if you don't use it judiciously. I generally heat the piece for 1 minute or less and then let it cool before giving it another shot. So far I've never nuked a piece more than twice and haven't had any cracking.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I do know what works for me, and have posted this before, I'm not much for risking the piece if I can help it, heating the piece in a MW (Micro Wave oven) could easily split your piece while the critters just walk around unharmed, the same as with freezing, yes some might be killed, but after a few months of deep freeze here in the winter the bugs are all around again in spring.
I pack my pieces in a good plastic bag and put a handful of mothballs in with it, double bag it and set it away for a month or two, I've let these pieces sit on black cardboard for months after, just to see if anything was surviving this treatment, and never did find evidence that they did survive.
As Allan was saying thinners do work just fine, that is if you can get the stuff to penetrate to where the bugs are, it's an instant kill if the bugs get contacted by it, actually any of the petroleum products will work, like paint thinners or gasoline and diesel fuel etc., but you'd like to use stuff that has not other additives or lingering smells.
I just keep with the mothballs, it isn't fast, but it does work and is pretty cheap, the smell does dissipate as well.

[Scott Crumpton]

I recently dropped the remaining stem of a 30" red oak that was killed by lightening about 8 months ago. All of the blanks prepared from this tree have shown significant bug infestation. I could clean up the frass daily if I wanted to. They burrow out right through the Anchorseal. So, I know there are live ones in it.

I bought a 30 gal metal garbage can. About 5 blanks at a time get stacked and stickered in there along with 1/4-1/3 cup of acetone and tolulene. A strip of paper towel is in the cup to aid in evaporation. The can is then closed up for at least 2 days.

Normally, the blanks come out of the can and get rough turned within hours. I can smell the tolulene even deep into the wood. I've had several blanks treated this way sitting on the shop floor waiting to be rough turned for 2 days now with no evidence of new frass.

After roughing, I soak in DNA, both for drying and to make sure about the bugs. Wet shavings are removed from the shop immediately, just to be safe. The roughouts are anchorsealed again to dry.