Help ASAP! Wood Bug Questions!

[Joel Sauder]

A week and a half ago I scored a huge silver maple stump slab (5ft in diameter, 2ft thick, with plenty of figure). I sawed it up into 2 person chunks, sealed it with anchorseal and stashed it in my unfinished basement (I didn't to put it outside since it has been very hot up until lately, plus in a coule of months it will be freezing). I go down today to take look at it and I see the evidence of bugs drilling holes in it. There is a very fine sawdust oozeing out of holes about a 1/32 of an inch in diameter, mainly out of end grain areas. There are not a ton of holes, but I easily found a dozen or so.

So my questions are:

1) Do these bugs pose a threat to my house?
2) Should I find a new place to store the wood?
3) Any idea what the bugs are and how I can stop them from chewing holes in my very nice wood?

Thanks in advance!

Joel

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Joel.....Once your wife finds out about the bugs....storing it in the basement won't be a problem or an option!:eek: :rolleyes: :D

I'd get it out of the basement and spray the basement and leave the house for a few hours if it was my predicament.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Joel I had that happen to me except it was in my shop. I put the wood out side and put a couple of bug bombs in the shop overnight. Wasn't taking any chances. Not sure what kind of bugs they are but don't want them in the shop.

[Aaron Kline]

Could they be ambrosia beetles?

[Curt Fuller]

Could they be ambrosia beetles?

That was my first thought too. I've read somewhere that the beetles whose larva leave the beautiful streaks throughout Ambrosia maple usually attack the wood after the tree is dead. I can't remember where I read that but if I find it I'll post it.
As for bugs in the house, well I've always been a little squeamish about sharing my living quarters with any kind of bugs, even if they are making some plain old silver maple into an nice piece of Ambrosia Maple.

http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/ambrbeet.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_beetles

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth/idotis/insects/ambrosia.html

[Joel Sauder]

I think you guys have hit the nail on the head! This maple was dying when it was cut down, and the stump set for a few weeks before I got to it. Prime condition for Ambrosia beetles based on the websites that were mentioned.

Additionally, a couple of the bowls I have roughed out have had these very small bore holes in them that are stained grey/black around the edges.

But I still don't like the idea of chewing bugs in my basement. I am going to bug bomb the basement, with the wood in place, in hopes of kill them before they chew too many holes in my nice figured maple. And then move the wood to another location. But I will leave a couple pieces outside and let the beetles have there way with them who know what it will turn out like.

Thanks for the help!

Joel

[Ernie Kuhn]

Joel,
You might have better luck with the beetles still in the wood if you cart it outside, figure out how to put it in a tent-like tarp arrangement, sealing it up and put a couple of bug bombs in there. I would think that just leaving them in the basement when you bug bomb it wont get deep enough into the wood. It will dissipate too soon? Just a thought.
Ernie

[Jonathan Harvey]

Just turn the blanks on the lathe. Bowl gouge + Ambrosia beetles = no more Ambrosia beetles :) Wait until you get deeper into the wood you'll be amazed at how many you find. Or at least this was the case for me two days ago.

[julie Graf]

I'm dealing with the same problem with some reclaimed wood.

my question is: will the bug bomb penetrate the wood to get to the bugs deeper inside?

I'm curious.

I was also thinking of taking it someplace to kiln dry it. right now i'm in a brick building, but i'm moving to a wood frame/cedar shingle structure and don't want bugs around!

thanks.

[Allen Neighbors]

I give an injection of Lacquer Thinner in each hole, via an Insulin Syringe. I make sure the opening is up so the thinner flows 'down' (gravity), and then I wait a day or two, to see if I got them all. Usually have to hit a hole or two the second time, or it was a miss altogether.
Check out this Website for the borers we have in Texas: http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-5086.html
I don't worry about the larva getting into the wood of my shop. It's built of treated timber.
On a quiet summer night a couple of years ago, I had turned off everything in my shop, and was just standing still, with moonlight streaming in through the windows and door. I heard something strange. Searched for the sound, quietly snooping around in the semi-darkness. It was wood-borers gnawing inside a large (about 50 lb) chunk of Bois d'Arc that I had brought in from the woodpile. Try it sometime... it's interesting. :)

[Kevin McPeek]

I try to store most of my found wood outside in the shed for this reason.
One time cutting a Palo Verde I ran across 2 of these http://phoenix.about.com/library/blpaloverdebug.htm I only took a little of that tree anyway. I'd have to say these were around 3"-4" long. I really didn't want to bring them home.

[Martin Braun]

I was walking out of the Gilbert library one evening this summer and one of those flew right at me. Scared the bejezus out of me.