termite infested wood....?

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lopro

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I know it's probably been discussed before, but here's the deal:

I got some sweetgum from my neighbor that was standing dead. They took it down as soon as whatever bird nest up there was vacant. Half of the tree was hollow, and they planned to use the hollow pieces as flowerpots. I already got the solid logs, split it, and added it to my stack:msp_biggrin:. Once they discovered the hollow sections had termites inside they passed that along to me as well. I gladly took it. I'll split it and stack it but...

If it is infested with termites, can termites damage my woodpile? I have a few cords stacked and I'll probably burn most of it this season. I haven't really inspected it yet, but I haven't seen anything but rot on the inside of these hollow logs. In my opinion, even if there are some termites they're probably harmless and fixing to go up in smoke later this winter or next winter.

BUT, I just had to ask and get some feedback from the experts.
 
I would say yes this is why i always spray my wood plie with termite and ant killer i have not any termites knock on wood but I have had a ton of black ants and it kills them dead.
 
Lets see, termites eat wood and you have brought a few into your shed which contains an unlimited amount of wood? You are going to let them remain and live there while reproducing? And then you are going to carry them into your wood frame house and place them next to your fireplace until you light a fire?

Yup, sounds like a good plan to me....:hmm3grin2orange:
 
I would say yes this is why i always spray my wood plie with termite and ant killer i have not any termites knock on wood but I have had a ton of black ants and it kills them dead.

I kinda thought spraying wood with pesticide = not good. Due to the fact that once wood is burned, chemicals in the air which we all breathe, especially me.

I'm also talking about approx. 8 (quantity) 12"-14" (length) logs which are 8"-12" in diameter. Each log will probably get me about 5 or 6 decent splits because it's so hollow. If I stack it about 10' away from any other firewood, and burn it quickly, is that so bad? btw...my woodpile is in the woods behind my house approx. 100' away from my house. This same wood came from a tree in my neighbor's front yard across the street, so technically it's about the same distance from my house...just chopped and split.

Am I being a fool for free wood?:msp_ohmy: and don't termites live in the ground anyway?
 
You're probably not in any danger. I just wouldn't bring that wood in the house much before going in to firebox. Wouldn't want the critters to wake up and think it's spring and time to go looking for some new munchies....like your house.
 
Termites live in wet wood. No bugs will live inside the wood once it is dry. I take in plenty of termite infested wood so long as it is not punky. The termites are long gone when I go to burn it.

I have no problems with douching my woodpile with poison if I think it would help. I don't like spiders or bees so my piles get sprayed. Seriously? You think the smoke will be poisonous?
 
When I get termite wood I prefer to leave it in the Forest.By some chance if it makes it home I keep it separate from my other wood. I will burn it outside or inside you know grab a few pieces and throw in the stove.
 
no probs here

I've gotten a lot of wood with termites and bugs in it. Standing dead usually has them, and I cut and burn a lot of that, always have... that stuff just split a little smaller and it goes to the top of the stack, furtherest away from ground moisture. And that's it, don't need to do anything else.

One, splitting it a lot will knock most of them out of the wood anyway, two, they need wet wood, not dry wood. If termites ate dry wood, there wouldn't be a home standing on the planet made from wood. Think about it...

I have never sprayed my wood. I have sprayed next to the stacks with herbicide a few times, to kill off creeping privet and poison ivy and snakevine, but never any insecticides on the wood.

Stuff I bring in, never saw a single termite, a few times a winter I see an ant or two..pfft...they don't last long.

We have a heartpine plank sided cabin, in Georgia, sitting now on concrete blocks (used to be all stone but they changed it thirty years ago or something). Pure normal untreated unpainted wood. (also being heartpine it is rather impervious to rot anyway)

No termites, it is above that ground layer. The termites just don't like dry wood. Even if it gets wet from rain, it dries out again quick enough and..no termites. And we don't spray around the house for termites either.

Homes with termite problems..there's a reason, moisture buildup in what wood there is. Sometimes wood under vinyl or aluminum siding will hold enough moisture so termites will work their way up, real far, as far as the wood is wet. Really thick coats of paint over wood will hold in moisture a lot and allow termites to feast underneath. Saw that a lot when I was a house painter, trim wood that all that was left was 20 layers of paint! I ain't kidding, generations of paint, with the wood eaten out underneath, it still *looked* like a piece of trim, had all the shape to it, even fancy stuff! Whenever I found that, it was a gold mine for me because then I could show the HO and get the nod to replace a ton of wood first, gravy!

Even if a termite got loose in the house..it would starve to death if there was no handy wet wood to chow down on.
 
Zogger knows what he is talking about. Lots of trees get infested with termites near the trunk.

I'm now burning firewood cut from eight big hackberry trees that were standing about 20 miles away and all of the trunks were being worked on my termites. I split and stacked the wood 30 miles away to let it dry. The branches I brought in immediately. I'll burn the rest in the spring.

Hackberry is terrific firewood.
 

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