Log with beetle larvae

[Justin Rapp]

I used my bandsaw to mill up some board out of a small log I had sitting on the rocks under my deck for about 2 years, hoping to get some small splated boards out of the it. The log is from the trunk of about a 20 year old maple tree that came down in a storm (pulled up from the root ball out of the ground).

In the boards I found what looks like beetle larvae. The area that was really bad I cut out and tossed, such as the first picture.

So is this just now firewood or is it even usable assuming I dry the heck out of it? i don't have access to a kiln and not sure it's worth making one for these few boards.


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[Andrew Hughes]

If had those boards I wouldn’t mind digging out the larvae and throwing them up on the shed. I have two blue jays that live in my oak tree. Always ready for a treat.
I have only scraps of wood right now so I’m a bit desperate. Not pallet wood desperate but close. :)
Good Luck

[Justin Rapp]

If had those boards I wouldn’t mind digging out the larvae and throwing them up on the shed. I have two blue jays that live in my oak tree. Always ready for a treat.
I have only scraps of wood right now so I’m a bit desperate. Not pallet wood desperate but close. :)
Good Luck

It sounds like you need to get your hands on some wood. My guess is the cost of lumber is Southern CA is pretty high?

[Kevin Jenness]

It's not a bug, it's a feature.

[Andrew Hughes]

It sounds like you need to get your hands on some wood. My guess is the cost of lumber is Southern CA is pretty high?
Wood is here in California is very expensive. Last month we had a wind event that should have been a boon for me. But it wasn’t. Mostly pine and eucalyptus fell. Because I’m living or dying in the city most of the tree layed up against a house or in a street.
I do have a backup plan wood carving.

[Justin Rapp]

Wood is here in California is very expensive. Last month we had a wind event that should have been a boon for me. But it wasn’t. Mostly pine and eucalyptus fell. Because I’m living or dying in the city most of the tree layed up against a house or in a street.
I do have a backup plan wood carving.

I am guessing that the cost to ship hardwood into an area that doesn't have a large hardwood industry could be pretty costly, driving up the price at retailers. Depending on the quantity of wood you need, you can always pallet the wood and ship it, or go in with some others from your area to split the shipping costs. I know Hearne Hardwoods ships to customers, I think they have a minimum order, maybe 300 or so, and no clue on shipping costs.


Back to the wood I cut today, i'll stack it outside for a bunch of months and see what it looks like and decide to use it or put it in the burn pile. I'd hate to make something with it only for there to be bugs hatching out if the wood. The other log I have was further up the trunk and had branches so that is just gonna have a bunch of knots. If it has knots AND bugs it's not even worth cutting it for use.

[Michael Schuch]

It's not a bug, it's a feature.

As a software engineer I can completely respect that! :)

[Mark Gibney]

You can build a temporary low cost "kiln" from heavy duty cardboard boxes and a string of work lights with incandescent bulbs.

Boxes used for washing machines or big flatscreen TVs would work well.

Use a cheap digital thermometer to keep track of the temperature and get it up over 130* for the afternoon. This should kill any pathogens and bugs eggs in there.

I do this on occasion. The only anxiety is wondering if the whole shebang will go on fire. If you have a sunny sheltered outdoor spot the sun you'll feel safer if you need to leave the heat box for a few minutes.

[Justin Rapp]

You can build a temporary low cost "kiln" from heavy duty cardboard boxes and a string of work lights with incandescent bulbs.

Boxes used for washing machines or big flatscreen TVs would work well.

Use a cheap digital thermometer to keep track of the temperature and get it up over 130* for the afternoon. This should kill any pathogens and bugs eggs in there.

I do this on occasion. The only anxiety is wondering if the whole shebang will go on fire. If you have a sunny sheltered outdoor spot the sun you'll feel safer if you need to leave the heat box for a few minutes.

I have thought about letting the boards bake in the sun for an afternoon on the driveway which gets really hot in summer as it's south-facing. I'd bet the boards end up warping.

The idea of a cardboard box and lights seems like a fire hazard, but if it's watched I guess it's ok. I just found out about ceramic heat bulbs used for reptile cages. My daughter got a gecko and we used this light to heat the tank. It gets much hotter than an incandescent bulb and still fights to get the temp of a 20g tank to 90 degrees.

[Robert Engel]

Is the wood punky? I had something similar with a maple log I let go too long. Massive amount of figure but the wood was like wet paper. I ended up burning it.

[Mitch schiffer]

Bora care will kill the bugs and protect from future infestations. I have used it many times to kill powder post Beatles with decent success.

[Justin Rapp]

Is the wood punky? I had something similar with a maple log I let go too long. Massive amount of figure but the wood was like wet paper. I ended up burning it.

It wasn't punky, but we'll see when it dries out a bit what it looks like.

[Richard Coers]

I have thought about letting the boards bake in the sun for an afternoon on the driveway which gets really hot in summer as it's south-facing. I'd bet the boards end up warping.

The idea of a cardboard box and lights seems like a fire hazard, but if it's watched I guess it's ok. I just found out about ceramic heat bulbs used for reptile cages. My daughter got a gecko and we used this light to heat the tank. It gets much hotter than an incandescent bulb and still fights to get the temp of a 20g tank to 90 degrees.
You have to get the inside of the wood up to 133 degrees to sterilize it. Sun exposure won't come close. Usual I get my kiln box up to 150 so the heat soaks in.

[Richard Coers]

Bora care will kill the bugs and protect from future infestations. I have used it many times to kill powder post Beatles with decent success.
I thought Boracare was a preventative pesticide. I didn't know it soaked in and killed larvae.

[Wes Grass]

A guy I know wrapped a surplus rifle stock in paper towels and put it on the dash of an old truck he had in his driveway to draw the oil out of it. Would probably get hot enough to kill bugs as well.

[Jacques Gagnon]

You have to get the inside of the wood up to 133 degrees to sterilize it. Sun exposure won't come close. Usual I get my kiln box up to 150 so the heat soaks in.

The temperature that Richard mentions is the one used in an internationally recognized phytosanitary standard for treating wood products. The goal is to submit the entire piece of wood to a temperature of 133F (56C) for 30 minutes. The key here is reaching the target temperature down to the core for that specified period of time. The time required will be a function of factors such as shape (thin rectangles will require less time than square cubes for example), initial temperature, moisture content.

In the case of interest to the OP, mortality of the larvae will be a function of various factors; drastic changes in the larvae’s environment (e.g. cutting open the burrowed area will drive the moisture level down) will negatively impact survival rate.
Heat will deal with those larvae protected by a certain amount of wood/frass. Being able to eliminate the insects that are still active would prevent further burrowing, hence less damage to the wood.

[Alex Zeller]

If you have the room and since you own a mill I would look into building a solar kiln. Around here you'll risk getting powder post beetles in the wood before it can dry unless careful. Wood has amazing insulating properties. Just a few wood chips from a chainsaw is enough to keep ice from melting until the middle of summer around here. I suspect the driveway idea could work if the nights are warm and you went out several times and flipped the boards during the day. Last summer I had some QSWO that had worm holes like those in the sap wood. The kiln killed them. It was a feature that didn't work with the project I was making though so I culled the stuff with the holes.

[Justin Rapp]

If you have the room and since you own a mill I would look into building a solar kiln. Around here you'll risk getting powder post beetles in the wood before it can dry unless careful. Wood has amazing insulating properties. Just a few wood chips from a chainsaw is enough to keep ice from melting until the middle of summer around here. I suspect the driveway idea could work if the nights are warm and you went out several times and flipped the boards during the day. Last summer I had some QSWO that had worm holes like those in the sap wood. The kiln killed them. It was a feature that didn't work with the project I was making though so I culled the stuff with the holes.


I don't own a mill, it was a small log, I used my bandsaw to mill the lumber.