Beetle Kill dry times

[Matt Enquist]

Anyone have any estimates on how long it may take for a beetle kill log to dry completely? I have 6" wide pieces, unmilled and I do not have access to a kiln.

[Matt Enquist]

I was able to cut down some beetle kill wood at a friend's property here in Colorado. I cut it open last night to see how dry it is and found a nice little grub. Does anyone have any experience/knowledge on if the pine beetle grubs pose any danger to the wood in my house (the framing, flooring, and the like)?

[Todd Burch]

My understanding is 134 degrees for 4 hours minimum to kill all bugs. (Or something very close to that)

You don't want bugs on your wood.

[Cody Colston]

Anyone have any estimates on how long it may take for a beetle kill log to dry completely?

Years, if ever. Saw the logs into lumber and then dry. The grubs will "probably" die when the lumber is dried, even without the 134 degree temperature.

[Scott T Smith]

I was able to cut down some beetle kill wood at a friend's property here in Colorado. I cut it open last night to see how dry it is and found a nice little grub. Does anyone have any experience/knowledge on if the pine beetle grubs pose any danger to the wood in my house (the framing, flooring, and the like)?

Matt, lumber dries very poorly in log form. Drying and sterilization times are directly related to lumber thickness; for every inch of thickness past 1" you reduce the drying rate by 60%, or thereabouts.

Pine beetle grubs primarily feast on green wood, so you don't have the same worries about them infesting your house as you would with powder post beetles or dry wood termites.

[Scott T Smith]

My understanding is 134 degrees for 4 hours minimum to kill all bugs. (Or something very close to that)

You don't want bugs on your wood.

Todd, to sterilize lumber you need to heat it to the core to at least 133F for 30 minutes. However, similar to cooking a roast it takes a long time for the heat to work it's way into the center of the lumber. Thus, minimum times in the kiln for sterilization are directly related to the thickness of the piece being sterilized.

4 hours would usually work if you're finishing up a kiln run at 120F and need to raise it up to 133 inside of 4/4 lumber, but it wont work if you slip some air dried 16/4 lumber into the kiln for four hours.

Somewhere I have a chart on how long it takes heat to penetrate to the core of lumber based upon thickness. If I stumble across it I'll post it.

Scott