Powder Post Beetles

[Jack Wood]

I have gotten some barn wood from a very old family farm and it looks to be poplar. :) But the down side is that there is evidence of powder post beetles(little holes).:eek: Some of these planks are 3 ft wide and 5-6 foot long, The others are close to being 2x4's +or-. What can I do to kill these bugs? Will spraying the wood with insecticide work? Though I don't like the idea of then turning around and cutting it up. I would hate to toss this stuff but I don't want to infest my shop or house. By the way I'm storing this on a concrete slab in front of my shop(outside) is this asking for trouble if they wander away from their present homes and towards my shop?:eek: I don't want to toss this wood but I don't want to spend a lot on it either. THANKS!

[Jim Becker]

Powder Post infestations can only be "surely" treated via heat in a kiln or via professional fumigation. You need to kill the eggs they lay. The real question is, do you have an active infestation or just evidence of a problem in the past? Are there little piles of dust coming from the holes? If there is any doubt, get it taken care of before you bring it into the shop.

[Jack Wood]

Hi Jim, well when I picked up a piece the other day there was a small sawdust pile. So the next question is where do I find a kiln or a fumigator that does this sort of work?:rolleyes: How close is to close when it comes to storing it outside of my work shop?

[Chris Padilla]

Jack...find an exterminator or firms who specialize in termites. They will put the wood in a plastic enclosure ("tent it" so to speak) and then fumigate it to kill anything in there.

[Bob Smalser]

Forget fumigation...you likely won't get 100pct of them, even under the best and most expensive circumstances.

Either kiln the wood to 133 degrees throughout for 30 minutes or burn it.

Solar kilns....a black plastic tent and space heater with fan done in the heat of the day for several hours...are worth a try. But I'd monitor the wood for another season before using to detect any further grass piles.

And if the wood is dry and the holes are in the heartwood instead of just the sapwood, then you really do have Lyctus sp.powder post beetles that under no circumstances do you want in your house. There are other beetles that are no big deal once the wood dries.

[Jack Wood]

Bummer, this is some really nice wood but it's beginning to sound like the best thing to do is trash it:( I can't take the chance of making picture frames and shadow boxes to give as gifts only to infest the recievers house with beatles, that wouldn't put me in very good with the in-laws:D . Thanks for the advice:)

[Chris Padilla]

Strange idea but what if you vacuum pack the wood? I gotta believe if you suck out all the air that that will kill any living organism requiring oxygen? What if you freeze the wood?

However, it sounds like this will cost a lot of money to do and for poplar, I just gotta believe it really isn't worth it. If you had some valuable wood there, it might make more sense but it probably just doesn't add up.

[Jack Wood]

Hi Chris! Yeah it's got more sentimental value than anything else. Well live and learn, I'm just glad I found out about these little critters before I passed out the gifts at Christmas!:eek: Talk about your gift that keeps on giving:D

[Mark Singer]

I brought over old oak beams from France for a home. We brought in a company the wraped them in a tent and fumagated them...then they were installed in the home