Powderpost Beetles

[Rob Will]

What products can I use to prevent Powderpost Beetles that will not stain my lumber stash, or interfere with finishing???

Thanks,
Rob

[James Boster]

Rob, there was aproduct on the market a few years back that would kill them. It was or is called Lindane. Nasty stuff so they outlawed or restricted sale of it. Sometimes you can find some in old hardware or feed stores.

[terry hansen]

I've used both TImbor and boracare. Boracare is more $ but is a thicker gel like material instead of a powder and seems to penetrate better. I've only used them on cherry and had a white powdery residue that sanded off (after letting dry for several days) and neither left any stain or residue that negatively impacted a BLO/shellac/waterlox finish.
Boracare was recommended to me by a guy in S GA that mills old heart pine (and other material) into flooring as he buys it it large quantities and is happy with the result. Being cheap I balked at the $65/gal versus $10 for timbor powder and ended up buying boracare eventually. I will use borcare from now on as I saw dead beetles after application.
I purchased thru that auction site.

It is messy - so do in a well ventilated spacel and wear gloves and all that.

[Jacob Reverb]

I believe you can substitute regular old 20 Mule Team Borax for Boracare or Tim-Bor in a pinch...just dissolve in water and apply. Borates are some interesting stuff...they make things fire-resistant...bug resistant...termite proof...dry-rot proof...what more could you ask for? :D

[Peter Quinn]

I've used some spray on boric acid stuff on air dried wood I had stored, EW pine I think, didn't seem to affect finish or stain the pine. I got it at a local hardware store. Killed bugs dead. A test piece is probably in order in any event.

House I grew up in got sprayed for powder post beatles when I was a kid, we had to move out for 2 weeks and run blowers, the house stunk for months like grape Koolaid and chemicals. I think what ever they used is probably illegal by now or should be.

Maybe grape koolaid will work?

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I use Boracare, if I recall the procduct name correctly. Spray it on wood that is prone to powderpost beetle infestation. It is not an insecticide in the sense of what most people would think of in terms of action. It will not kill the insects themselves (don't know what it would do if you sprayed it directly on them). It does not penetrate the wood to any depth either. When the ppb lay their eggs and they hatch the larvae try to bore into the wood. They ingest the boron compound and it kills them (not sure, but I think the boron screws up enzymatic activity in the insect's digestive tract). It does not penetrate very far so will plane or sand out and at any rate does not affect wood processing or finishing. It will not kill what's there until they try to bore their way out and get the treatment close to the wood surface. The action lasts indefinitely as the boron compound does not break down like an organic based insecticide. It will, however, wash off with repeated water rinses (rains) and UV in sunlight will eventually break it down also so it is best used on wood kept inside. The boron also acts like a fungicide and helps keep wood rot down. If you only need a small amount do a google search for boric acid insect treatment' I've seen several 'recipies' for small amounts. Otherwise I think you have to get it in 10 gal. buckets. I wouldn't drink the stuff but there is very little health risk.

[Jim Andrew]

There's been quite a bit of talk about this on woodweb, sawing and drying forum. Seems the only way to kill ppb is to get the wood hot enough to kill the eggs. Think they said 130 degrees for several hours. Otherwise, the only way to get rid of the infestation is to burn the wood. And you don't want to contaminate your wood supply, as the things spread.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

It is correct that the best way to make sure a ppb infestation is eliminated is to kiln the wood, and 130 degrees or better for about four hours will kill all adults, larvae and eggs. Spraying doesn't kill internal larvae (they must exit through surface treated wood to be affected), and you can never be sure that all areas of wood have been covered by spraying (bark is expecially tough to do).

However, ppb live in dry wood. Wood that has material that attracts ppb, mainly starches and sugars in the sapwood can be kiln dried and have all insects killed. When the wood is stored at normal conditions it will take up some moisture from the air - usually enough that an insect re-infestation can take place. I have seen this happen with kiln dried red oak and, for my part of the country, especially mesquite.