possible powder post beetles what to do?

[justin sherriff]

I got some cherry from a local guy that was dried in a solar kiln.
1 of the boards had some very soft (sapwood?) that I cut off in the trash.
what has me worried now is there are 3 small holes on one spot. I first seen the 3 holes 4 or 5 weeks ago when planing it flat.
but I do not know if they are new or where their the hole time. now the end tables are dun and it the house. Now I found out about powder post beetles and am worried what to do. No new holes

[Bill Dufour]

What kind of finish did you use, will it allow gases into the wood at a reasonable speed. I suppose you can bag and fumigate the completed woodwork.
Search the site their was a discussion about this within a month.
Bill

[justin sherriff]

I used shellac. The part with the holes is the bottom shelf that I could unscrew and remove 12in X 16in.
Could I keep a eye on it and if nothing else pops up for x amount of time. I do not know if this is new damage or from be for going in the kiln.

[Bill Dufour]

Looks like kiln drying will kill the powder post beetle. Only need 135 F for several hours. How hot is your attic or car trunk?
Bill

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?114023-Keeping-wood-free-of-powder-post-beetles

[Steve Demuth]

In my experience, if there is an active infestation, you'd almost certainly have seen sawdust and new holes in the 5 weeks since you planed it.

[Nick Decker]

Is it possible that your planing revealed some sap pockets? Cherry, in my experience, is kinda prone to those.

[justin sherriff]

After thinking about it all day I think I am jut going to remove the shelf with the holes in it and make a new one for peace of mind.
now if I do not see any other holes in the rest of the wood is there any worry that there could be bugs it there too?

[John K Jordan]

After thinking about it all day I think I am jut going to remove the shelf with the holes in it and make a new one for peace of mind.
now if I do not see any other holes in the rest of the wood is there any worry that there could be bugs it there too?

Unfortunately PPBs can be deep in the wood and not emerge for months or more. I believe the holes you see are exit holes. You may see no evidence of live beetles until they exit.

I once heard a faint "skritch, skritch" sound in my quiet shop and while looking for it I witnessed a beetle exiting the wood. This makes me wonder if they also make that sound deep within the wood and could be detected with a doctor's stethoscope or a contact microphone/amplifier. I should experiment with this.

JKJ

[Bill Dufour]

My wife raised silk worms for class one year. when the kids were gone and the room was quiet you could hear them eating from several feet away. Of course they were eating leaves in the air not inside then tree.
Bill

[Danny Hamsley]

Generally, PPB's do not like cherry heartwood. That is one good thing. But, like John says, they can live in the wood for several years before emerging. I know this from personal experience. Fumigation will not penetrate the wood deep enough to insure that the eggs and larvae are killed. Heat over 133 degrees F will do it if you heat the wood to that internal temp and hold it there for a few hours. Hard to do that on a finished piece. Replacing the shelf that contained the sapwood may the simplest solution.

BTW, wood dried in a solar kiln does not normally reach the sterilization temp of over 133 degrees internal wood temp, so consider that when you are purchasing wood.