Powder Post Beetles

When we lived in a Redwood Forest, we wanted a nice
monster coffee table. Paid our money and he said he
would deliver in 4 days. All of his stuff (and all wood workers)
had to have their project gassed. Just the same stuff they
gas a house with when they bag a house. We got our
certificate and away we go.

I think a large overseas shipping crate was used - it was
air tight with gaskets. A safety protection
was in the door - a pop-in plug - draw to much vacuum which
was drawn and then the gas let in. The gas penetrates the
eggs directly. It was expensive but was part of the
expensive price.

Martin


On 9/13/2011 3:52 PM, Gerald Ross wrote:
> MJ wrote:
>> Yep, I found a hunk of walnut that I stashed
>> with my other lumber and found the tail-tell signs -
>> little pin holes.Beetles. Damn.
>>
>> I have ordered TimBor insecticide based on a recommendation
>> but, wonder if I set off some fumigation bombs would
>> that help as well? I am looking to drag out all the lumber and
>> spraying it vs just setting off the bombs.
>>
>> Suggestions?
>>
>> MJ
> We bought a wood carving several years ago and soon noticed the little
> piles of beetle poop. My wife microwaved it and killed all those little
> suckers. Now if you can find a microwave large enough to load a stack of
> lumber in....
>

On Sep 14, 8:08=A0am, "Dr. Deb" <[email protected]> wrote:
> BTW, TimBor works, but I have had only moderate success with it. =A0My wi=
fe
> had a dresser that had been her grandmother's, and therefore worth a lot =
to
> her. =A0It got poweder post beetles in the plywood of the drawer bottoms.=
=A0
> After about three treatments, over several weeks, the powder finally stop=
ped
> showing up.
>
> Bottom line is, don't think that one treatment with it will cure your
> problem.
>
> Deb
>

TimBor is not only a preventative treatment, but also an immediate
treatment, once an infestation is discovered. Lumber needs to, also,
be treated prior to the adults laying their eggs, inside the wood.
Your dresser already had the larvae inside the wood, when the problem
was discovered. The larvae were digging their way out, when the
problem was recognized. After 3 weeks, the larvae could have finished
digging their way out, hence no more evidence of their presence.

PPB will return to the same cache of lumber (or nearby), the next
season, to lay their eggs, again, and continue their life cycle. One
has to treat the bugs, themselves, i.e., the life cycle of the
insects, not necessarily the lumber, itself. You have to treat the
adult stage (laying time period, spring time), as well as the larvae
stage (hatching time period, autumn time), in order to keep the total
problem under control.

BTW, similarly, if you have fruit trees (like plum or peach) that are
susceptible to the bug infestation by plum curculio, you have to treat
the trees before the adults infest the fruit, not after they have
already laid their eggs inside the fruit.... The fruit would already
be damaged, if you wait until after the infestation, to treat it.

With regard to the original poster, you can expect another infestation
next year, unless you treat your lumber cache in late winter/early
spring (apply the treatment for the duration of the egg laying
season). The eggs that have already hatched will return, next year,
to nearly the same location, and start the cycle again.

Sonny

"Pete S" wrote:

> My wood storage building is a hundred feet from the shop. I never
> allow any suspect wood into the shop, so I am okay there.
> Anyway, I called the Terminex people back then, told them my
> problem, and they said: "sorry, but we can't help you." I, too
> asked about fumigation. They didn't think they could seal my 22 X 54
> foot building well enough to do the job, no matter what process they
> used.

--------------------------------------
Why can't they "tent" your bldg?

Standard procedure around here to handle a termite infestation.

Pricey, yes, but also effective.

Lew

TimBor should be readily available in most locales.

It's the larvae emerging from the wood. Your wood was infected
sometime in the past. Google "powder post beetle life cycle" and read
up, ie., and take measures for preventative maintenance, if possible.

Sonny

I am surprised that you haven't gotten a lot of replies to this post. Maybe
no one else has the problem? Maybe no one else wants to talk about it?
Maybe no one else goes to the woods and brings them in, inadvertantly?

I sure would like to hear how your "Timbor" works.
Several years ago, my wife convinced me to keep some white oak slabs that
she thought were pretty. They were as wide as 20 inches, but had some
decay. Mistake!
Now I have to confront this issue from time to time. My wood storage
building is a hundred feet from the shop. I never allow any suspect wood
into the shop, so I am okay there.
Anyway, I called the Terminex people back then, told them my problem, and
they said: "sorry, but we can't help you." I, too asked about fumigation.
They didn't think they could seal my 22 X 54 foot building well enough to do
the job, no matter what process they used.

So, I'd still like to know if there are any newer solutions, too.

The only solution that I know of that will work is to paint the wood so the
new bugs can't get out. From time to time I have considered using something
like a sanding sealer, but that would be expensive for the 10,000 bd ft that
I have out there.

Pete Stanaitis
-----------------

MJ wrote:
> Yep, I found a hunk of walnut that I stashed
> with my other lumber and found the tail-tell signs -
> little pin holes.Beetles. Damn.
>
> I have ordered TimBor insecticide based on a recommendation
> but, wonder if I set off some fumigation bombs would
> that help as well? I am looking to drag out all the lumber and
> spraying it vs just setting off the bombs.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> MJ
We bought a wood carving several years ago and soon noticed the little
piles of beetle poop. My wife microwaved it and killed all those
little suckers. Now if you can find a microwave large enough to load
a stack of lumber in....

--
Gerald Ross

No man is an island, but then no man
is a potato salad, either.

Depending on how recently that piece of walnut was stashed, something as
simple as getting it out of the building could solve your problem. I had a
piece of ash that exhibited those nasty signs, removed it and kept an eye on
the rest and nothing else was infected.

Deb

MJ wrote:

> Yep, I found a hunk of walnut that I stashed
> with my other lumber and found the tail-tell signs -
> little pin holes.Beetles. Damn.
>
> I have ordered TimBor insecticide based on a recommendation
> but, wonder if I set off some fumigation bombs would
> that help as well? I am looking to drag out all the lumber and
> spraying it vs just setting off the bombs.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> MJ

BTW, TimBor works, but I have had only moderate success with it. My wife
had a dresser that had been her grandmother's, and therefore worth a lot to
her. It got poweder post beetles in the plywood of the drawer bottoms.
After about three treatments, over several weeks, the powder finally stopped
showing up.

Bottom line is, don't think that one treatment with it will cure your
problem.

Deb


MJ wrote:

> Yep, I found a hunk of walnut that I stashed
> with my other lumber and found the tail-tell signs -
> little pin holes.Beetles. Damn.
>
> I have ordered TimBor insecticide based on a recommendation
> but, wonder if I set off some fumigation bombs would
> that help as well? I am looking to drag out all the lumber and
> spraying it vs just setting off the bombs.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> MJ

Insects, and their eggs, die at elevated temperature.
If you can get your woodpile to 160F for a few hours (hot
day, sunlight, black plastic... you'll think of something),
that's how a kiln-dried board gets insect-free.

The temperature has to get high in the WHOLE PILE, preferably
at the same time, or the bugs will move around in
musical chairs fashion.

On Sep 13, 5:48=A0pm, Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:52:31 -0400, Gerald Ross <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >We bought a wood carving several years ago and soon noticed the little
> >piles of beetle poop. =A0My wife microwaved it and killed all those
> >little suckers. =A0Now if you can find a microwave large enough to load
> >a stack of lumber in....
>
> Commercial microwave. Hospital and Food Services use them. I'm sure
> it's a waste of time getting temporary use of a hospital microwave,
> but he may be able to find a food service for a fee.

I thought 28"Hg of vacuum might explode the little buggers... but
nope.. just heat.


http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Does_Vacuum_Kill_Insects.html

Pete,

I heard a couple of things to try. Timbor is one. The other, if you
can do it, is to find a deep freeze processing container. Someone I
know knew a guy who had one, kept his boards in there for a week
and took care of it.

The best thing is prevention. Check your material and know
where it's coming from. I bought these boards from a guy who
was selling his stash and he just never really protected them.
NEVER going to do that again!

I took out the offending board, a hunk of walnut, and kept it
away from the ash I have. I haven't seen anything else yet, but
I'll get the Timbor and spray each piece.

Terminex is really not a good place to begin. You might try
calling your state's forestry dept. They might have some ideas or
perhaps the local wood mills, if you have them or certainly
the local hardwood stores,if you have them.

MJ

On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:40:44 -0700, Robatoy wrote:

> On Sep 13, 5:48 pm, Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:52:31 -0400, Gerald Ross <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >We bought a wood carving several years ago and soon noticed the little
>> >piles of beetle poop.  My wife microwaved it and killed all those
>> >little suckers.  Now if you can find a microwave large enough to load
>> >a stack of lumber in....
>>
>> Commercial microwave. Hospital and Food Services use them. I'm sure
>> it's a waste of time getting temporary use of a hospital microwave, but
>> he may be able to find a food service for a fee.
>
> I thought 28"Hg of vacuum might explode the little buggers... but nope..
> just heat.
>
>
> http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Does_Vacuum_Kill_Insects.html


I once worked at a mill that operated a treating plant (CCA), sometimes
wood would sit in storage for quite a while, in the not too dry state,
the wood would be infected. During treatment a 27in/hg vacuum was pull
for 15 minutes, the cylinder flooded with CCA solution, kept under 150psi
pressure for 30 minutes and a final vacuum would be pulled for another
15 minutes, the critters would survive the chemicals, pressure and
vacuum.

When the bored out on the customers jobsite, it caused a lot of
unhappiness all over.

Apparently, they only eat on the way in the semi-green wood in the
untreated state and after they bored out, the wood would never be infected
again.

P.S., My belated condolences for you and your family at the passing of
your Mother, I hope all is as well as can be.

basilisk
--
A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse

On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:52:31 -0400, Gerald Ross <[email protected]>
wrote:
>We bought a wood carving several years ago and soon noticed the little
>piles of beetle poop. My wife microwaved it and killed all those
>little suckers. Now if you can find a microwave large enough to load
>a stack of lumber in....

Commercial microwave. Hospital and Food Services use them. I'm sure
it's a waste of time getting temporary use of a hospital microwave,
but he may be able to find a food service for a fee.