HELP - bugs in the woodpile

[Kogafortwo]

I always seem to have a lot of bugs in my woodpiles. Mostly palmetto bugs (giant roaches). Also a lot of wood dust in the pile from whatever is eating it up.

I just cut up my neighbor's white oak that fell on his house last week. (440 Magnum rocks!). It had been damaged by lightning and a severe beetle infestation, which I discovered while splitting the logs yesterday.

Questions:
1. Do I have to worry about the beetles invading the rest of the pile? Or worse yet the standing trees next to it?
2. Does anyone ever treat their woodpile for bugs when stacking it?
I have a shaker can of Seven insect killer that should kill just about everything. I am thinking about dusting each layer with that as I stack.

Thanks for your tips.

 

[stihl sawing]

I've never treated mine and they always have them beetles. Don't stack them up against another tree or they will get in it. Found that out the hard way. Killed both of them, thankfully they were smalltrees and pines. They could possibly get in you're trees but they haven't here yet from the wood. Don't think spraying poison on the pile and burning the wood would be good either. If the wood is stored outside the rain would probably wash it off before burning season though. Also my piles have never had a severe case of them either.

 

[Adam_MA]

I sprayed the pallets that I stack on with Ortho Home Defense Max. It's supposed to last all year even outside to repel insects. I also gave the outside of the finished stack a spritz on each side. Don't know how well it will work, I'll find out in the fall.

 

[howellhandmade]

I've got a separate "quarantine" stack. Clear, sound wood with no holes or decay goes with my regular stuff to season for winter after next. Pieces with any decay, bug holes, or evidence of infestation is kept away. If it's too rotted or eaten, it goes down the hill to finish the process; if it's too good to throw away I split it small, stack it in full sun, and plan to burn it as soon as possible. All my wood is stacked off the ground. I make PT 2X4 racks that stand on cinder blocks. I dust the ground inside the cinder block cavities with termite/ant powder. Dead and dry wood is less attractive to bugs than live/sappy or wet/decaying wood. Which doesn't mean there won't be bugs no matter what you do, but I'd prefer to stop short of spraying stuff on wood I'm going to burn in my home.

Jack

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I blow powdered Sevin in my pile, otherwise I have carpenter ants thawing out inside in January.

 

[Kogafortwo]

Thanks, I'll do the quarantine stack on the far side of my yard away from trees. I am running out of room on the pile I've got anyways.

 

[Austin1]

I use borax the one with the Mule on the box . I don't really have a problem with bugs here except the Yellow Jackets making nests in my Wood stack.I do get the big Black wood ants and the Borax seems to keep them away, I also mix it with honey in little balls and place them under my pallets.That way they eat the stuff and Die.
The wood ants are only attracted to my store of Poplar and leave the Pine,Fir & Spruce alone.No hard wood herebut no nasty wood eating bugs to deal with also. Except for the Pine Beetle! is really starting to make it over the Rocky's from B.C and has the Forestry Dept very worried It only kills live tree's.

 

[ppkgmsy]

I throw the real punky wood into a separate pile to burn as campfire wood. The rest of the firewood sits for over a year and seems to get too dry for the boaring insects to infest. We get spiders, ants, chipmunks, and snakes in our pile. In winter I bring about 2- 3 weeks in at a time and have never had problems with bugs coming out of hibernation in time to do any damage.

 

[blades]

If some it looks like very fine sawdust, might be powder post bug. Sevin ought to slowem down some. if its wooden they chew on it

 

[Guarddog1]

I found a bunch of ants that took up shelter in my wood today I gave them a new home inside the wood boiler. Hope they are liking it. That is another reason I like my OWB wood never comes close to the house.

 

[mga]

two tell tale signs for termites:

a 1971 green grand prix or a grey primered 1968 fairlane

 

[Ohiowoodguy]

Bugs burn just fine. I always enjoy giving the ants a new place to live with "central heat". Sick?

 

[yooper]

wood pile bugs are better than bed bugs!umpkin2:

 

[Brushwacker]

I noticed where I set a few pieces of ant infested wood against the old barn , the ants appear to of moved into a nearby main barn support pole. I fed them a couple rounds of terra a few weeks ago and haven't checked lately.
There is always bugs getting in the house from wood, last several years mostly roaches and asian beetles as I usually spot the ants and leave that wood an extra year spread out enough the birds can get at it. Last year I got fleas in the house first time ever so I sprayed a couple times and bug bombed it once. Afterwards I hadn't noticed hardly any active bugs for very long for about 6 months +. Spiders used to coexist with me and a host of other regular bugs until I sprayed. After spraying just about every bug I saw was dead , dying, or gone the next day. Just recently I am starting to see a spider now and then. I may spray again this summer if I see to many of the wrong bugs. I may spray some of my wood stockpile as well. Wouldn't worry a bit about burning wood thats been sprayed. As far as in the house I wouldn't want kids crawling where I sprayed but in my case I feel safe . The chemicals dry and most is sprayed in corners etc. where the bugs go.
Labels give the do's and don'ts to use the spray safely. Some keep killing bugs for months some work mainly only at the time you spray. Do read entire labels to be safe and effective if you chose to use pesticides.

 

[stihl sawing]

wood pile bugs are better than bed bugs!umpkin2:

LOL, I'm not gonna ask if you ever slept in the wood pile.

 

[kalib stock]

I always seem to have a lot of bugs in my woodpiles. Mostly palmetto bugs (giant roaches). Also a lot of wood dust in the pile from whatever is eating it up.

I just cut up my neighbor's white oak that fell on his house last week. (440 Magnum rocks!). It had been damaged by lightning and a severe beetle infestation, which I discovered while splitting the logs yesterday.

Questions:
1. Do I have to worry about the beetles invading the rest of the pile? Or worse yet the standing trees next to it?
2. Does anyone ever treat their woodpile for bugs when stacking it?
I have a shaker can of Seven insect killer that should kill just about everything. I am thinking about dusting each layer with that as I stack.

Thanks for your tips.

Used engine oil works!!!

 

[KD57]

I give wood lizards a nice home, they in turn, give me a bug free wood pile.

 

[stihl sawing]

I give wood lizards a nice home, they in turn, give me a bug free wood pile.

Yep my pile has a few. They will eat those bugs.

 

[Kogafortwo]

Plenty of lizards here in SC, maybe they'll eat up the bugs. Not too sure about the engine oil when I plan to burn it indoors this winter, though.But as far as oil goes, how about differential fluid? I just did the front diff on the Jeep and have a couple of quarts of the dirty old stuff.

 

[howellhandmade]

Plenty of lizards here in SC, maybe they'll eat up the bugs. Not too sure about the engine oil when I plan to burn it indoors this winter, though.But as far as oil goes, how about differential fluid? I just did the front diff on the Jeep and have a couple of quarts of the dirty old stuff.

I wouldn't. But if you split into an ant nest, a couple tbsp. of gas will kill 'em right now.

Jack