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Thread: Bugs in my ash lumber ???

  1. #46
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    New Hill, NC
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    2,568
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Uchida View Post
    Would the heat affect any finishes already applied? I would have to buy a space heater because here in Hawaii we have no use for such things!
    Depends upon the finish but I think that most will survive a temp of 140 for a few hours. This is probably a question for Mr. Holmes....

  2. #47
    While sorting through my stack of Ash lumber in preparation for making a bed frame, I notice lots of white powder and lots of dead bugs 1mm x 3 to 4mm. Likely powder post beetles based on earlier comments in this post.

    Wondered how I could tell if the bugs and eggs were all dead, or would their destructive activity continue if I built something from this lumber.

    After reading all the replies in this post I found solutions to kill the bugs, but no answer to the question of whether the bugs were already dead. Did some googling and found this: https://www.orkincanada.ca/pests/bee...rpost-beetles/ " Powderpost beetles require the moisture level of wood to be above 12%."

    Checked wood with my Lignomat Pinless Scanner D moisture meter and found the moisture level was below 10%. So I feel safe in using the undamaged portions of wood.

    If Bob Jones, the original poster ( from 2006 ! ) is still interested, they could check their bench with a moisture meter.

    I purchased the ash a few years ago from a reputable lumber store. Perhaps the moisture content was above 12% so the bugs climbed in from other wood and lived happily until the moisture content dropped below 12%, at which time they crawled out onto the surface and died of thirst (poor things)
    Last edited by Steven Woodward; 03-19-2022 at 1:40 PM.

  3. #48
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
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    4,443
    Quote Originally Posted by Steven Woodward View Post
    While sorting through my stack of Ash lumber in preparation for making a bed frame, I notice lots of white powder and lots of dead bugs 1mm x 3 to 4mm. Likely powder post beetles based on earlier comments in this post.

    Wondered how I could tell if the bugs and eggs were all dead, or would their destructive activity continue if I built something from this lumber.

    After reading all the replies in this post I found solutions to kill the bugs, but no answer to the question of whether the bugs were already dead. Did some googling and found this: https://www.orkincanada.ca/pests/bee...rpost-beetles/ " Powderpost beetles require the moisture level of wood to be above 12%."

    Checked wood with my Lignomat Pinless Scanner D moisture meter and found the moisture level was below 10%. So I feel safe in using the undamaged portions of wood.

    If Bob Jones, the original poster ( from 2006 ! ) is still interested, they could check their bench with a moisture meter.

    I purchased the ash a few years ago from a reputable lumber store. Perhaps the moisture content was above 12% so the bugs climbed in from other wood and lived happily until the moisture content dropped below 12%, at which time they crawled out onto the surface and died of thirst (poor things)
    I burnt a couple thousand board feet of ash and soft maple that I had stored in a shed on my Mom's farm. It breaks your heart to through a 2x20x12' on a bonfire. You will be greatly disappointed when you plane that ash. Tiny holes on the surface are no big deal. It's the miles of tunnels inside the wood that ruin it. You aren't out of the woods because your lumber measures 10%. Did you read anything like this? It can take up to 5 years before the larvae will mature into an adult. This means that they maybe feeding on your furniture for up to 5 years! There have been reports of powder post beetlesemerging from furniture 35 years after it was infested!
    Last edited by Richard Coers; 03-19-2022 at 2:14 PM.

  4. #49
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
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    12,120
    Last load I bought...zero sides of any bugs....may have gotten lucky...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  5. #50
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    New Hill, NC
    Posts
    2,568
    Quote Originally Posted by Steven Woodward View Post
    While sorting through my stack of Ash lumber in preparation for making a bed frame, I notice lots of white powder and lots of dead bugs 1mm x 3 to 4mm. Likely powder post beetles based on earlier comments in this post.

    Wondered how I could tell if the bugs and eggs were all dead, or would their destructive activity continue if I built something from this lumber.

    After reading all the replies in this post I found solutions to kill the bugs, but no answer to the question of whether the bugs were already dead. Did some googling and found this: https://www.orkincanada.ca/pests/bee...rpost-beetles/ " Powderpost beetles require the moisture level of wood to be above 12%."

    Checked wood with my Lignomat Pinless Scanner D moisture meter and found the moisture level was below 10%. So I feel safe in using the undamaged portions of wood.

    If Bob Jones, the original poster ( from 2006 ! ) is still interested, they could check their bench with a moisture meter.

    I purchased the ash a few years ago from a reputable lumber store. Perhaps the moisture content was above 12% so the bugs climbed in from other wood and lived happily until the moisture content dropped below 12%, at which time they crawled out onto the surface and died of thirst (poor things)
    There are multiple species of powderpost beetles. The lyctid PPB can survive in lumber dried below 12% and can live in dry lumber for up to 7 years before boring out and laying their eggs.

    The small piles of sawdust that you saw (frass ) are typical indicators of an active infestation. The best form of eradication is heat sterilization.

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