# PLEASE HELP! something is eating my wood!!!



## ash bucket (Jun 22, 2010)

Hello all. It's been a while since I've posted since I'm not really in the wood burning mood yet. But I can't wait to get back in the swing of things later this year.

So, I walked by my wood stack last night and nioticed that something is boring small holes in my blood, sweat, and tears soaked wood! There is fine saw dust everywhere...on the wood...on the ground. What is boring 1/8" to 1/4" size holes in my wood?!?! And how can I stop them?!?!


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## maverick06 (Jun 22, 2010)

sounds like a bug of some sort. Go to home depot and get the granular insect killer and sprinkle it around where you keep the wood. i wouldnt suggest getting it on the wood... who knows what happens if you burn it. Anyways, that might take care of stuff or at least miticate it. Could be carpenter bees.... not sure how best to tackle them, but they leave a big hole, its obvious and easy to jame a stick into when they fly in


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## ash bucket (Jun 22, 2010)

I thought about bees but the holes are really small. A "wood/carpenter" bee I am use to leaves a larger hole. I guess it could be little bees. Anybody else have an issue with this? What happens if I don't do anything? It makes me wanna cry to see all the hard work I put into getting that wood to the seasoning state being turned into saw dust!


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## mayhem (Jun 22, 2010)

If you do nothing, the best case is you lose a significant portion of your wood.  Worst case is they get at your house and dig in.

I'd start cutting pieces of wood open till I found the bugs and ID them, then bring the hammer of checmical destruction down on their little heads.

I hope your wood is not stacked anywhere near your house...if it is, move it today.

Whenever I pick up a load from scrounging I tend to err on the side of caution and douse it with a general flying insect killer after I stack it.  Just to be sure I'm not bringing a new bug onto my property.  If its full of holes when I collect it, I leave it where it lies and walk away.


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## ash bucket (Jun 22, 2010)

This was all cut live last fall and processed by myself. Could this be ash borer? Some of it is ash. I'll do just that tonight...cut it open and see what is inside.


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## smokinj (Jun 22, 2010)

ash bucket said:
			
		

> This was all cut live last fall and processed by myself. Could this be ash borer? Some of it is ash. I'll do just that tonight...cut it open and see what is inside.



Yes it could be ash borer, split it they could already be gone..


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## rdust (Jun 22, 2010)

Sounds like a powder post beetle, I get them in my wood.


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## quads (Jun 22, 2010)

I get them too.  I think Backwoods Savage said they are powder post beetles.  They won't eat the wood all up, just poke some small holes here and there.  They don't cause a big problem.


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## ash bucket (Jun 22, 2010)

So if I split a piece open and find that it is not ash borer, I shouldn't be worried? Just let them do their thing? I don't really want to spray an insect killer on the wood but I am not opposed to it if they are going to decimate my pile.


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## Uper (Jun 22, 2010)

Ash Borer will only be in the cambium layer, which is the softer layer right under the bark.  If it is in the pre-pupal stage it may have bored about half it's pupal length into the sapwood, but that will be all.  So, if you split some pieces and find holes or larvae down in the center of the split, it won't be ash borer.  There are others such as two-lined chestnut borer and bronze birch borer that could make holes that large, and heaven-forbid, Asian Longhorn Beetle..  If you have holes in any other wood then ash, it isn't the ash borer that is doing it.  It may even be carpenter ants.  The powder post beetles leave pretty small holes, but do produce the frass you described.  If you collect a larvae and actually want to get it identified, you can put it in a vial with some alcohol.  The vial should then be heated until it boils a little (move it back and forth through the flame), but don't seal a lid on while doing this.  And, please don't let it boil over or you may have a whole new set of concerns!  This will preserve the larvae better for the identifier.  Also be as gentle as possible getting the larvae into the vial.  Many of these are identified based on hair-like structures along the body.  If they are damaged, it makes it more difficult, or becomes an educated guess.  If you contacted a county extension agent, they could tell you who to contact or hand it off themselves to the agency or university that would have an identifier.


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## ash bucket (Jun 22, 2010)

By internet research on the ash borer and what I've read here, I've pretty much ruled that out as being the culprit. I can see in middle part of the ends of splits where they have entered. More like 1/8" holes. Not just under the bark. My rick is about 40 yards from the house. Do I have to worry about them getting into my house? Are they going to turn my hard earned firewood into dust if I don't do anything about them?


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## CJRages (Jun 22, 2010)

Ash,

I noticed this happening to my stacks a couple weeks ago. The holes were 90% only in mulberry splits and were all in the "sap wood" part of the splits which is the outer 1/2 inch of the rounds... I have noticed small 3mm ants carrying the sawdust out of the holes and dropping it below, but I think they are just looking for a new home?

Take a picture if you get a chance... I'd like to see it.


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## zzr7ky (Jun 22, 2010)

Hi - 

A lot of barn preservation enthusiasts mix up a handfull of Borax in a bucket of warm water and spray unfinished wood... .

You are describing powder post bettles, small holes in actual wood, dust pushed out of holes...

I have noticed some of this in my pile.  It hasn't been a big issue.  It was worse with Silver Maple, and Elm.  I try to focus on Ash and harder wood now.

ATB, 
Mike


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## Zimm (Jun 22, 2010)

If you have any hickory in your stacks it is the painted hickory borer.  They make holes like you described (1/8 to 1/4).  They are common here in Kentucky, the eggs are laid in early to mid spring, and by now they have hatched and are big enough to do the damage you discribe. Powder post beetles make holes less than 1/8 inch in diameter.  To avoid this, I cut my hickory now, after the adult beetles have laid their eggs, and by this time next year the wood is too dry to atract them.  Z


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## ash bucket (Jun 23, 2010)

Split open a piece last night one time and found two of these...more pics to come...


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## CJRages (Jun 23, 2010)

Looks like good fishing bait...   

Wonder what they are?


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## Zimm (Jun 23, 2010)

Ash Bucket,  Yes thats the painted hickory borer larvae.  Do a web search to get a pic of the adult. Z


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## ash bucket (Jun 23, 2010)

So what am I suppose to do? Just wait until they turn into whatever they turn into and leave? Or are they just going to keep laying eggs and the cycle continues? Is my wood pile at risk?


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## Zimm (Jun 23, 2010)

Ash,Bucket,  No more eggs wil be laid this year, however the existing larvae will continue to eat throughout the summer.  I have lost up to 30% of my hickory to these insects.  Fortunately they only infest hickory ( a similar species infects locust, but I don't believe that is what you have).  The solution to your problem is to either don't cut hickory in the future or do like I do, and wait untill about now to cut hickory.  This will give the wood enough time to dry enough before next spring so that the adults will not be attracted.  The adults only like green or only partially dried wood to lay their eggs on.   Z


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## ash bucket (Jun 23, 2010)

It's funny you say they only infest hickory because I thought all I had cut was ash and different types of oak. Makes me wonder if it's something other than hickory borer.


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## rdust (Jun 23, 2010)

From some quick reading on a couple sites it looks like the hickory borer will attach other hardwood.  I have some bores in my ash right now, I assumed they were powder post beetles but maybe they're a different type of borer.  If they can manage to eat 15 cords of wood I guess I say have at it.  :lol:


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## CJRages (Jun 23, 2010)

What size diameter are those runs in your wood? They look to be about 1/4 inch wide - does that sound right?


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## iceman (Jun 23, 2010)

those things are everywhere   i see them in my wood but there isnt much to do about it... they dont "eat"  all my wood , some pieces just look like yours..they still get thrown into the fire and they actually "pop"  when they burn  lol just kidding... i wouldnt worry  just keep an eye on it.. or buy some borax and spray the wood....... either way you will be ok.. but most people here have 2yrs + of wood, someting is boud to get in it when it sits for that long.....


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## ash bucket (Jun 23, 2010)

Yes...1/4" to 3/8". More like 5/16". Forgot to hold a scale by it and take the pics.


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## Zimm (Jun 24, 2010)

Ash Bucket,  The literature says the hickory borer will infest other woods like Ash, although ussually its less of a problem.  I don't have access to Ash so I haven't seen the results myself.  The do not touch my oak. That being said, the splits in your picture do look like Hickory.  The hole size is consistant with hickory borer as well.  One year, the problem was so bad anything down wind of my wood stack was covered with wood dust. Z


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## Tony H (Jun 24, 2010)

I have come across small amount of those bugs when splitting and threw them in the bonfire pile. That pile is near the woods and I will throw them in the burner sometimes. It seems they leave the wood as it dries and move out into the woods for some fresh trees.
just for the record I have sprayed insect spray on the wood pile with no problems. Every year I spray a couple times around the yard to knock down the bugs a bit before parties and so the main wood pile has been sprayed with a light spray and the oder goes away after a day or two and never noticed anything when burning. I do have the EKO located outside so it's not like any fumes if there were any would get into the house anyway.


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## FLINT (Jun 24, 2010)

I had some similar looking critters in some oak slab wood that I got.  I just ignored them and burned them with the wood when the time came.  

You would have to have an absolute crap load of those things for them to have a measurable affect on your volume of wood.


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## vvvv (Jun 24, 2010)

enclose pile with a tarp & set off a bug bomb within the enclosure, if possible & read directions for effectivity or call mfr


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## Grape Wrangler (Jul 11, 2010)

Haven't stopped in for a while but I noticed bore holes and sawdust in my wood pile. Grabbed a length of my hickory and split it until I found the little bugger.

A quick search on herth.com and I have identified the culprit! I have this in my pile, too. They're in the hickory but seem to be leaving the cherry alone. Haven't found them in my other pile of unsplit ash and white oak.

I have plenty of wood that they can eat what they want and I'll still have plenty.


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