# Crackling Wood



## Linesider (Nov 15, 2010)

I was sitting in my living room when it was quiet, and I started hearing the wood in the wood rack next to the stove make a crackling noise.  The stove wasn't going, and the rack is one of those small ones with the carrier on the inside.  I assume it was bugs inside the wood.  I live on the Connecticut shoreline and we haven't had many nights below freezing temps as of yet.  I put the wood back on the porch just to be safe.  

Knowing there's a lot of experience here, what do you think?  Am I right about assuming its bugs? Could it be a mosture thing?  I did notice wood dust in the wood pile when I pulled the wood from the pile.  It is termites?  Should I be concerned?  


Thanks for your insight, John


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## soupy1957 (Nov 15, 2010)

Greetings to a fellow Connecticut resident. I'm north of you, in Wallingford.  Creaking wood...........well..........ever heard an old wooden ship creak?  Or your house, as the temps fluctuate?  I'm gonna guess that wood generally can be crackling or creaking, or whatever, as it adjusts to temperature variation.  I don't think I'd default to believing it was bugs.

On the other hand, if it IS "bugs," I would imagine that you would see evidence of their existence sooner or later.  I can't say it isn't the first time that I've read about bugs in the wood, in the house.  Almost seems inevitable, on some level.

In the last two years of bringing wood into my house, I CAN say I've heard the wood crackle when it is sitting in our 24" diameter ring in the living room.  I CAN say I've heard it creak or crackle, as it adapted to the way it was sitting (sometimes the pile will shift a bit; especially after having pulled two or three splits from it).  

On some level, if you are going to bring in wood from outside, you're bound to see some other evidences of the outside world come in WITH it.  The question is...........can I live with that.  Heck yeah!

-Soupy1957


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## Rockey (Nov 15, 2010)

Its hard to tell by your description of the sound but could have been checking. How long has your wood been seasoning? If it sounds like slow splitting sound then I'd bet its checking.


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## mayhem (Nov 15, 2010)

I'm no expert, but I think with bugs, they eat through the wood and it doesn't have much tendency to crack on its own due to this, but as wood dries out and contracts, the fibers can and do pull apart and the wood will develop cracks, called checking.

I live in a log cabin that we built new and I cna tell you that some nights the house checking woke me up out of a sound sleep in the first year.


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## RNLA (Nov 15, 2010)

Bugs? I'm not sure. I hear my wood checking some times. In our last home though we had a funny little noise coming from one area in the oak floor. Our little bird would go over and look periodically at this spot. We were curious and one day I got down there when I heard it and it was definitely a bug of some sort chewing on the inside of the plank... I saw there was a small gap and I used some bug spray through a small straw and within minutes the sound stopped. First time I had seen something like that.


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## wooddope (Nov 15, 2010)

Sounds to me you have some wood boring larvae in your wood.The fine dust/powder you noticed pretty much confirms it.If you get a chance, look for small roundish holes in the bark of the splits.


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## CJRages (Nov 15, 2010)

Linesider,

You are not alone. I noticed some of my mulberry splits are still "crackling" over the last couple days. The wood rack sits about 3 ft from the stove. I'm 90% sure it is some sort of bug-larvae that leaves sawdust piles - most likely the powder-post beetle larvae - they are very common here in the Midwest, not sure about the East. As for me I am not concerned. The bugs should be dormant by now, but even if they wake up and eat a little bit that's OK with me. Even the guys on death row gets a last meal I guess. What I'm sayin' is - the fire is gonna get them in the end! 

Also even if somehow a bug hatches - he's going to have a real problem infesting the house - the environment is super dry and there are virtually zero untreated wood surfaces to bore into - other than the firewood. :D


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## Linesider (Nov 15, 2010)

There are definately some small roundish holes in the wood, and most likely there are wood boring insects in the wood. I noticed more holes in the Red Oak. The wood has been seasoning for a couple of years, split stacked and covered, but in an area with more shade than sun.  Its been burning great, no moisture meter so I could not tell you the moisture numbers.   Is it common to hear noise from these bugs?  I haven't heard of checking before, so I'll do some searching on that topic. Maybe I have a little of both going on.  I heard some louder crackles, but just now I went and listened to the wood and I was able to hear some activity.


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## Oldmainer (Nov 15, 2010)

It sounds like your wood is infested with Italian crackle beetles. If you set a small pizza under your wood rack it will draw them out at night....but you will need to bag them up before it gets light or they go back to the pile. Oldmainer


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 16, 2010)

Linesider said:
			
		

> I was sitting in my living room when it was quiet, and I started hearing the wood in the wood rack next to the stove make a crackling noise.  The stove wasn't going, and the rack is one of those small ones with the carrier on the inside.  I assume it was bugs inside the wood.  I live on the Connecticut shoreline and we haven't had many nights below freezing temps as of yet.  I put the wood back on the porch just to be safe.
> 
> Knowing there's a lot of experience here, what do you think?  Am I right about assuming its bugs? Could it be a mosture thing?  *I did notice wood dust in the wood pile when I pulled the wood from the pile.*  It is termites?  Should I be concerned?
> 
> ...



John, the dust is a sure giveaway for powder post beetles as are the small holes. I might caution you though. If you don't want that stuff in your house, perhaps you should also not stack it on the porch.

Good luck.


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