killing beetles in wood

[John K Jordan]

I suspect a finish coat seals out air so the bugs suffocate. I wonder if putting the wood in a bucket full of CO2 or any inert gas would suffocate the bugs. You would have to wait a long time. No idea how hibernating eggs might last. Perhaps a pressure cooker.
Bill D.

According to my reading many things have been tried over the years. Heat is still seems to be the preferred method, possibly since it is easy and inexpensive and works.

[Jim Andrew]

I used to put pieces of lumber with ppb in an old metal grain bin. It gets hot enough in there to kill ppb in summer.

[Bill Dufour]

I used to put pieces of lumber with ppb in an old metal grain bin. It gets hot enough in there to kill ppb in summer.

Where do you live?. I am sure the trunk of a car, in the sun, gets hot enough on a summer day when it gets to 110 in the shade likie it often did last summer here.
Bill

[Jim Andrew]

I am in Kansas, wheat country. Lots of metal grain bins in Kansas. Would think on a hot day in California, steel box, in sunshine probably temps near 180 degrees.

[Bill Dufour]

I have had soda cans explode in the trunk several times. Before I learned not to leave them there.
Bill D

[Randall J Cox]

What a great idea, trunk of car. Actually I have a black cover on the back of my pickup truck that sits outside. That damn cover gets so hot in summer you can't touch it without burning your hands - literally. I'm sure inside that bed is way up there temp wise. I'm just going to put my piece of wood in there when it gets hotter around here. I live in San Joaquin Valley in Calif and its way up over a 100F many days in summer.. (I never felt comfortable putting this stuff in oven - even though I have used both oven and freezer to expand/shrink shafts, etc for bearing changes.)

[James Biddle]

I used Borate I bought from Amazon and it worked fine...I think I'd succumb to the heat faster than the bugs

[John K Jordan]

I used Borate I bought from Amazon and it worked fine...I think I'd succumb to the heat faster than the bugs

Products like borate and tim-bor that are applied to the wood surface will keep new bugs out but won't get rid of bugs already in the wood.

[Allan Speers]

Products like borate and tim-bor that are applied to the wood surface will keep new bugs out but won't get rid of bugs already in the wood.

BoraCare will kill bugs already in the lumber, I guarantee it. (Tim Bor will not.)

You can make your own & save a lot of $$$, (Google it) but it's a messy, smelly business. Possibly grounds for divorce if you do it in the kitchen.


Another way, if in the summer, is to just wrap it in cheap black-plastic sheeting from Home Despot, then leave it in the sun.

[eugene thomas]

If have a slab of lumber would putting in a vacuum bag and letting sit at around 24 or so vacuum for few days do the job of killing bugs?

[Richard Coers]

Nope, you also have to kill the eggs too.

[Richard Coers]

BoraCare will kill bugs already in the lumber, I guarantee it. (Tim Bor will not.)

You can make your own & save a lot of $$$, (Google it) but it's a messy, smelly business. Possibly grounds for divorce if you do it in the kitchen.


Another way, if in the summer, is to just wrap it in cheap black-plastic sheeting from Home Despot, then leave it in the sun.

Will BoraCare also kill the eggs?

[Clint Baxter]

I went out and bought a large microwave. It'd be big enough to hold a piece that size no problem. Be an easier way to get that piece hot enough to kill any insect infestation. Also works well for speeding up the process of drying green wood.

Clint

[John K Jordan]

BoraCare will kill bugs already in the lumber, I guarantee it. (Tim Bor will not.)
.

Yay - we've got it in writing! Does your guarantee just cover the cost of the product or replacement of the furniture, or say, a log home?

Bora-Care will kill bugs in the wood as deep as it can penetrate. Nisus says it can penetrate up to 4" in about a month. It wasn't clear to me if that 4" was from one surface and one application will treat a 8" thick slab or if they meant it would treat a 4" thick slab if treated on both sides. It is recommended to saturate all surfaces, side, edge, and end grain.

In some cases they recommends multiple applications. According to the literature since it only kills bugs that are actively eating, eggs may survive. If bugs are deeper inside the wood than the Bora-Care has penetrated they may eat their way towards the surface and be poisoned there. For PPB this may take several years. If you cut the wood open before then you may expose an untreated surface for the bugs to exit.

The depth of penetration will certainly depend on the type of wood, density, and pores. I've never found recommendations on treatment differences, penetration depth, and effectiveness for various species. I also haven't found where recommendations for woods at various states of dryness - will it penetrate to the same depth and work the same on green logs as it will on "seasoned" logs or kiln-dried lumber?

I think it was mentioned here the temperatures and times needed for the heat treatment method.

JKJ

[Allan Speers]

Will BoraCare also kill the eggs?

You bet. - I know this for certain, John. The "active ingredient" is boric acid, (plus borates) which kills the eggs because it dries them out. Even if it didn't (which it does, I've seen it) the beetles would die as soon as they hatched and started nibling, since the stuff doesn't leech out over time.

Nisus possibly doesn't guarantee this, due to some legal issues.

----------------

IIRC, yes it can penetrate to about 4", if made correctly. (in one direction.)

I can post the (very detailed) instructions on how to make it, if anyone wants. (I think I still have this as a text file, somewhere) You can make it for about 1/2 the cost of the retail stuff.

- but again, it's a messy business and somewhat hazardous if you do not take certain precautions.