stihly dan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Cool stove. Doe's it hava a glass door?
Termite damage from splits being inside?
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taskswap
ArboristSite Operative
My wife doesn't care about insects - all she wants is "no mice." She hears something that even sounds like a mouse, and I hear about it for a week after.
What I did for bugs (I was worried about powder-post beetles, but we get LOTS of ants here too) is when I built my indoor log rack I set it up on bricks, one at each corner and a pair in the middle for support. All around it on the concrete basement floor I sprinkled some borax. Ants don't jump, so that walls them off pretty good and they burn like anything else once they're inside the boiler. They make an ash. Not much coals, tho.
What I did for bugs (I was worried about powder-post beetles, but we get LOTS of ants here too) is when I built my indoor log rack I set it up on bricks, one at each corner and a pair in the middle for support. All around it on the concrete basement floor I sprinkled some borax. Ants don't jump, so that walls them off pretty good and they burn like anything else once they're inside the boiler. They make an ash. Not much coals, tho.
deerlakejens
ArboristSite Operative
Even carpenter ants, the big black ones often found in wood, need the wood to be overly moist or starting to rot. Most people see the big white wood boring beetle larvae with the brown mandibles and mistake them for termites. They pose no threat that I know of and take all winter to mature, so they won't bother any buildings unless the wood is rotting. Can't really ever see the need to spray firewood and can't believe it would be effective on insects in the wood. I try to knock the debris off of my wood before I bring splits in and this gets rid of most stowaways as well. I do get the occasional yellowjacket buzzing the lights after the wood comes to room temperature.
Whenever I come across an ant nest I usually have a small squirt bottle with some older gas in it. Once split I remove the infested piece away from everything and torch the nest. I dont want that amount of ants anywhere near the house.
Everyone has to start somewhere man.
mizzou
ArboristSite Operative
Good to see another Missourian. I've been keeping firewood in the basement for years and never seen an insect problem in the house. I do make sure the wood I store isn't rotton or has obvious insect damage to it. The only insects I find are the big black ants, whatever makes all the frass that looks like sawdust, and spiders.
jreed
ArboristSite Lurker
I have, without a doubt, seen termites in wood that i have split. Typically in moist dead wood. I usually make a pile of ant and termite infested wood and bring it directly to my stove. I used to bring about a cord of wood in at a time. That was until I began having an ant problem and some roaches started showing up. Those roaches love hiding in that shagbark hickory. When i noticed the ants i went downstairs and turned over some wood and found hundreds of ants scrurring around on the floor. That marked the end of me bringing wood into my house.
When we sold out house last year I had a pest inspection done. I walked around with the inspector and asked him questions. He said termites swarm in the spring and fall. If you have infested wood around during these times of the year they could infest your house.
I grew up in Illinois and have split wood infested with carpenter ants. They would start flying when you busted the wood open. I always kept a gas can around just in case. They don't like it when you pour gas on them and light them up.
Any bugs that are in the wood during the winter aren't going anywhere. They will add BTUs to your burn so throw em in to the stove. I wouldn't keep a lot of wood past spring especially standing dead or dead harvested off the ground. The soft woods around here, mostly pine and Monterey pine, seem to attract the bugs more than hardwoods. There is a real nasty boring beetle that the pest inspector said will bore a 1/2" diameter hole in wood. They multiply quickly and will ruin your home in short order. I have come across them in pine I have split for kindling. I also know from experience they aren't as hard as a maul. Birds like them too. I didn't keep any pine around after spring for that reason.
It may be worth a call to a home pest inspector to see what home-wrecking bugs are in your area and how to keep them in your firewood and out of your house. Even if you have to pay him it would save money in the long run. Just my $0.02.
Bob
I grew up in Illinois and have split wood infested with carpenter ants. They would start flying when you busted the wood open. I always kept a gas can around just in case. They don't like it when you pour gas on them and light them up.
Any bugs that are in the wood during the winter aren't going anywhere. They will add BTUs to your burn so throw em in to the stove. I wouldn't keep a lot of wood past spring especially standing dead or dead harvested off the ground. The soft woods around here, mostly pine and Monterey pine, seem to attract the bugs more than hardwoods. There is a real nasty boring beetle that the pest inspector said will bore a 1/2" diameter hole in wood. They multiply quickly and will ruin your home in short order. I have come across them in pine I have split for kindling. I also know from experience they aren't as hard as a maul. Birds like them too. I didn't keep any pine around after spring for that reason.
It may be worth a call to a home pest inspector to see what home-wrecking bugs are in your area and how to keep them in your firewood and out of your house. Even if you have to pay him it would save money in the long run. Just my $0.02.
Bob
Responses like this are exactly why I am glad i got on this site. Thanks for the help! It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone come take a look and give me some bug knowledge.:msp_biggrin:
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