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Thread: Pest control - ambrosia beetles

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Lake Burton, Northeast Georgia
    Posts
    150

    Pest control - ambrosia beetles

    I've been finishing several rather buggy box elder (ash maple) bowls, and the ambrosia beetles holed up in their tunnels have been dropping out all over the place, some dead, some still alive. I'm getting tired of crunching them under my fingernails, and wonder if there is an effective way of getting them all either out, or dead in place. I'm planning to show and sell these bowls and others at our community's annual meeting next week, and I'd hate to include these beetles as unwanted stowaways.

    Screenshot 2017-11-29 at 4.47.58 PM.jpg

    Which raises another question: besides being live bugs, which few people like to have in their living rooms, are there any risks that they could set up housekeeping in someone's furniture or wood structure? I'm assuming they have a fairly narrow ecological niche, but I don't know.

    Thanks!

    Robert

  2. #2
    Any wood I use with critters in it goes in the microwave either before turning or after turning and before I sand and finish it. I use 40% power for about 4 minutes and repeat if necessary....never had a problem with bugs after doing that...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    St. Louis
    Posts
    3,349
    I've also soaked the bowl in dna after the initial turning.
    Where did I put that tape measure...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Brentwood, TN
    Posts
    684
    About 2 to 3 weeks ago we had an invasion of the box elder beetles all around middle TN.
    They appeared all over my garage door and front wall of the house (South and West facing walls), and have reappeared on warm sunny days. They manage to make their way into the house every time the door opens. Not sure if they've come from the neighborhood, or some from the pile of dead silver maple out back, under tarps. Not sure if this is the same critter, but still don't want borers in the house.

    box elder beetle.jpg
    Ambrosia Beetle: Not the same, whew.
    Last edited by Mark Greenbaum; 12-01-2017 at 12:32 PM.
    Maker of Fine Kindling, and small metal chips on the floor.
    Embellishments to the Stars - or wannabees.

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