Looking for some peace of mind

[David Wadstrup]

Hi,

I'm looking for some peace of mind. I've recently purchased $2500 worth of lumber. Mostly walnut. Some sassafras. Mostly air dried. It is stickered in one large pile in my living room. For the last 3 weeks I've been storing a slab of myrtle on top of this pile. Yesterday I noticed 22 powder post beetle exit holes and, next to a couple of them, small piles of fine dust in the slab of myrtle. These holes were not there when the board was purchased. I've removed the infected board from the room and have bagged it up. I'm now worried about all of the rest of my lumber. Should I be?

I can't really chemically treat the lumber as it's in my shop which is in my living room. I have no way of heating this lumber. And even if I could who's to say it would do any good. Those 22 little beetles could just lay in wait somewhere else in the room waiting to pounce on these boards AFTER they were heated.

I guess there's nothing I can really do. Except hope for the best. So, I guess my question is: Do you feel it likely that these few insects could infest this lumber? What would you do?

Thanks,

David

PS I paid $200 for this 6' slab of myrtle. Now that it turns out to have been infested with PPB, do you feel I have the right to expect a refund?

[Jim Belair]

I'd just keep an eye on the rest of the wood but think it'll be OK. I had insects in firewood causing little piles of sawdust in my family room for years. It made a bit of a localized mess but beyond that, I didn't worry about it. I've now removed the stove and so also the wood. No signs of any migration to the structural wood in the room.

As far as a refund, you might try but I suspect as a non kiln dried product you take some chances.

[Mel Fulks]

Having already given some perhaps incorrect info,I think I'm done. Except....often bugs are just in the sap wood ,which is usually not used anyway,if that is the case ,I would just cut it off and get rid of it.

[Jim Stewart]

I tend to agree with Mel. The bugs are likely in the sapwood and will not generally go into the heart wood. That said I have seen holes in heartwood though it seems rare. Walnut is one of the least likely to be affected by bugs because of the natural chemicals that it contains. Don't know anything about the sassafras other than my mother used to make sassafras tea and it smells very good. I don't know anything about Myrtle. You never know about the refund thing but you won't get it if you don't ask.