Pecan Lumber small holes

[Richard Amabile]

I recently acquired some pecan lumber form a friend of mine. It comes from South Texas and is air dried for about 2 years. The lumber is approximately 2 inches thick, rough planed. I noticed that in this and in the one inch thick lumber there are some small pin sized holes that are a bit black around the edges. I have decided to keep the lumber outside and not put it in the shop with my other lumber in case there is some kind of insect in it. I know nothing about pecan and although the internet has a lot of sites on insects, it does not really show pictures of anything that resembles what I have.
Attached are a few snapshots of part of the lumber. Can anyone help me identify the issue here? Is it something I need to worry about (like still having insects in it) or is it something that occurs naturally with pecan and after sitting and air drying for a few years it should be OK.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated so I know whether to start working with this wood or not.

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[Danny Hamsley]

You definitely have insects. Powderpost beetles love pecan, but from what I have seen, powderpost beetle holes do not have black around them. They might be from Ambrosia beetles. Was this tree dead before if was sawn or was it lying on the ground for a long time?

[Richard Amabile]

I don't know the origin of the wood. My friend has a sawmill where he gets lumber from a lot of ranches in the area and this was just part of a stack he had. I intend to use the wood for forms to laminate other wood to bend. But, I don't want to take it into the shop if there are insects still alive in it. How would I know if there are insects still alive in it? do they die after the wood has been air dried for a few years or do they stay alive in the wood even after it is cut and dried?

[Alan Bienlein]

It needs to be kiln dried to kill them. You can sticker the boards and look for tiny piles of saw dust that looks like talcom powder underneath the boards. If you see that you have live bugs. You can treat it with mineral spirits or make up a borax solution and spray the wood down. I had the same problem from some pecan I had gotten from a local sawmill. He had no problem exchanging the boards for me and even threw in extra boards for my trouble.

[Danny Hamsley]

If it is ambrosia beetles, and I suspect that it is, they only attack recently downed or dying trees. Once the wood reaches a level of dryness, they leave, and you are fine to use the wood. However, powderpost beetles only attack dried wood, so if it is powderpost beetles, their eggs or larvae are likely still inside the wood. Have you seen any little piles of dust associated with the holes. If so, then it is powderpost beetles, and they are bad news. About the only way to kill the eggs is to heat the wood to an internal temp of 130+ degrees and hold that temp for 4 or five hours. Not an easy thing to do. Spraying won't help because it will not get to the eggs deep inside the wood.

Generally, there is no dust associated with ambrosia beetle tunnels. If you slice open the wood and see tunnels packed with dust, it is probably powderpost beetles.

So, a bit of a risk, but as ambrosia beetles attack green or mostly green wood, a fungus associated with the beetle causes that characteristic black circle around the holes. That won't happen with powderpost beetles as the wood is dry when they infest it and there is not enough moisture for the fungus to stain the holes.

[Tony Joyce]

Good information on the Ambrosia beetle, from Clemson University.
http://entweb.clemson.edu/eiis/pdfs/to22.pdf

[David Helm]

Judging by the size of the holes I would say they are probably Lyctid exit holes (commonly called Powder Post Beetle). Usually, if there are live beetle larvae in the wood, the holes would be light colored and powdery frass would fall out if you tapped on the wood. I would guess that the wood is dry enough that any living larvae are gone. What is the moisture level in the wood?

[Chip Lindley]

That wormy wood is a great example of making lemonade when it rains lemons. "Pecky Pecan" is quite in vogue for rustic cabinetry or built-ins.

[Richard Amabile]

David:
I don't have a moisture meter. So I don't know the moisture level. I am thinking about getting an "inexpensive" one. What moisture level might insure that the larvae are not live?

[David Helm]

David:
I don't have a moisture meter. So I don't know the moisture level. I am thinking about getting an "inexpensive" one. What moisture level might insure that the larvae are not live?

Below 12%. The dryer the better.

[Richard Amabile]

Alan:

If you don't mind my asking, what mill do you use? I am not that far from you since I live in New Caney. It sounds like you are happy with the service you get at the mill. I assume that their prices are considerably better than the hardwood suppliers in Houston.

[Dave MacArthur]

Need advice on milling 48" white oak (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?162955-Need-advice-on-milling-48-quot-white-oak&highlight=sterilize)
Are Bugs a problem in storing lumber outdoors/indoors/in a kiln? (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?160254-Are-Bugs-a-problem-in-storing-lumber-outdoors-indoors-in-a-kiln&highlight=sterilize)
Dehumidifier kiln-dried wood (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?152076-Dehumidifier-kiln-dried-wood&highlight=sterilize)
Drying Chestnut (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?150215-Drying-Chestnut&highlight=sterilize)

Keeping wood free of powder post beetles (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?114023-Keeping-wood-free-of-powder-post-beetles&highlight=sterilize)
Bugs eating my walnut (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?140354-Bugs-eating-my-walnut&highlight=sterilize)
When to mill a log into lumber? (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?140002-When-to-mill-a-log-into-lumber&highlight=sterilize)

[Alan Bienlein]

Alan:

If you don't mind my asking, what mill do you use? I am not that far from you since I live in New Caney. It sounds like you are happy with the service you get at the mill. I assume that their prices are considerably better than the hardwood suppliers in Houston.

I use M&G sawmill off of state highway 30 in Huntsville.

[Richard Amabile]

Alan:

Thanks, I have spoken to them a few times but they have not had what I needed. I will keep trying. It is good to know that they are reputable.

[Richard Amabile]

Alan:

I went to the M&G mill yesterday and brought my pecan with me to see if they would kiln dry it further for me. I checked it with cheap moisture meter and it registered 23%. But, after checking my meter against theirs it appears mine is off by at least 3%. But, that is still too high. They have no room in the kiln so they can not dry it more for me. They said that pecan seems to be the wood that these bugs (Post Hole Beatles) love most. Even the wood they had there showed some minor signs of them. Their comment was that even if you kiln dry it they will sometimes return if all are not killed. I ended up buying some kiln dried ash at about a 12% moisture content for my project. But, I will return to them for other wood since they seem quite helpful and have some reasonable prices on many things.

[Richard Amabile]

Alan:

I have some walnut that will need to be dried further (about 65 board feet). M&G says they have no room in their kiln. Do you know of any other places where I can get it kiln dried more than what it is?

[Alan Bienlein]

Alan:

I have some walnut that will need to be dried further (about 65 board feet). M&G says they have no room in their kiln. Do you know of any other places where I can get it kiln dried more than what it is?
I wish I did Richard. What about the next load they put in there?

[Dave MacArthur]

Should be getting warm enough now to lay it in the driveway with black plastic tented around it? Would solve your bug problem, but might cause warping issues. There are many threads here on solar kilns, I recall reading some that looked very quick and cheap to implement. If you don't have another kiln near you, may be your only option.