Bugs drilling holes in my drying slabs! Help...

[edrrt]

I made about 50 large slabs from a California Bay Laurel that fell on my property and have been learning.

Everything is stacked and drying in a barn and just recently I started getting hundreds of holes in a few slabs that just showed up over the last few days.



Anybody know it's doing this or how to stop it while your slabs are being dried? They're all probably about a year old now. Is there some product that you can spray on them to keep bugs away That won't permanently stain it or interfere wi drying?

The first few tables I have attempted are coming out really well I don't want all these labs to be ruined!

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

That looks like powderpost beetles - they attack my ash but not any of my other hardwoods. Use something like BoraCare or Tim-Bor, or any borate powder diluted with water and applied to the wood. Mostly they go after the softer edge wood but I just noticed a sprinkling of them on interior wood on some thick ash blocks I milled recently.

 

[buzz sawyer]

I've had them in Ash, Elm, Maple, Red Oak. They'll turn the whole board into powder if not controlled. They seem to do more damage in softer woods like silver maple and Elm sapwood,not the heartwood.