Uh oh...powder post beetle infestation?

[Matthew Joe]

Just purchased around 300 bf of red oak for a great price, but I'm worried that it might be infested with beetles. The boards were air dried, never kiln dried, and were stacked in a guy's garage for a few years (well, "stacked" is a generous term). Many of the boards are rather filthy, and some have mold on the outside. Still, there seems to be a lot of good lumber here, including a fair amount of quartersawn.

When I was stacking the wood, I discovered one--just one--board that looks like it may be infested. I've posted some pictures of the board once planed down. Keep in mind that this board was stacked among all of the other boards for God knows how long, and they don't seem to have similar holes. For what it's worth, the board was molded on one end, producing a fair amount of spalting (also pictured).

I stacked the boards outside for the time being, away from the rest of my lumber. I don't want to bring them into the workshop until I'm sure that they're not infested. I don't see any bugs running around, but I don't know whether I should expect to see them. How can I tell if the bugs are still alive? Can I just leave this planed board alone for a few days and then look for sawdust coming out of the holes?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

[Ted Wong]

Looks like an infected board to me. Could the rest of the pile be toast too?
Quite possibly. But if they don't have any holes in them and have been sitting around for years probably are okay. I usually spray my lumber down with a borate solution soon after I leave the sawmill. This creates a thin barrier layer that will kill off any bugs eating through the layer and prevents an all out feast for the critters.

[Henry Ambrose]

I'd toss the bad one and then give the others a quick pass through the planer. If there are no sign of bugs - make something with your new wood.

[Scott T Smith]

I'd toss the bad one and then give the others a quick pass through the planer. If there are no sign of bugs - make something with your new wood.


+1, except that rather than tossing the bad board I would see about having it sterilized (a few days in an attic in Atlanta in June should do the trick), and then use it for a rustic project.