Active worms in stock blank

[WadePatton]

 

AS i tend to buy stuff when i has money, and get around to the projects when i has the time (years later it seems), it came to my attention yesterday that there are worms in my wood RIGHT NOW!

In my curly ash. 

John suggested acetone to kill them.  They may not be deep enough to be into the final wood shape, and I'm not afraid of a few worm holes, but I don't want to lose a blank to them. 

What do you guys do in this situation?  Or would do if faced with it?

[FALout]

I'm not sure about getting rid of them, but I wouldn't want them in my shop since it's in my house.

[WadePatton]

This happened in the house.  This blank hasn't been to the shop yet.  I drag a lot of critters into this dwelling with the firewood you know. 

And there's no Lady to help me focus on extermination schedules...

also, i'm going to start doing work in the back bedroom as it will save on firewood (heating the shop) and time.

These are the little bugs, not the Emerald Ash Borer, which makes huge holes-like carpenter bees.  I've seen that too, in firewood.

[Robert Wolfe]

Actually, Emerald Ash Borer's make holes much. much smaller than Carpenter Bees. However, they build their galleries just under the bark in the sap wood so should not be an issue for a stock blank.

[WadePatton]

Actually, Emerald Ash Borer's make holes much. much smaller than Carpenter Bees. However, they build their galleries just under the bark in the sap wood so should not be an issue for a stock blank.

What I've seen was ultra-destructive and might take trees down structurally .  Found it splitting Ash tops from logging.  Local forestry advised to cut all marketable Ash or risk losing it forever.  But that I've yet to see any dead standing Ash in my woods.  That was their general recommendation, they didn't see the damage i speak of.  They'd straightened me out i'm sure.

These are likely the standard powderpost bugs (pin holes-white grubs).  I mentioned the other because I've seen the damage-suppose it was something else. 

Carpenter ants get into a lot of my Cherry and Sassafras.  Luckily the bees appear to prefer Georgia Pacific products (SPF-which don't grow 'round here--unless you plant them). 

[Jim Chambers]

Paint the wood with a cheap lacquer thinner.  It will kill the bugs already in the wood and prevent any further problems with them.  The thinner will evaporate and won't cause any problems working or staining the wood when you're ready to make it into a gun.

[Kermit]

Jim's right. Don't be cheap with it--slather it on. You want it to get down to them little critters.

[Mike Brooks]

Powder post beetles, very common in ash sap wood. Malathion works well.

[Eric Krewson]

Where I live powder post beetles go in the top a of a log and come out the bottom. I split this oak log to show the damage as they munch their way through a piece of wood.



I moved a powder post beetle infested osage stave into my basement once, they quickly migrated to my floor joists. $600 later in Boracare treatments I was rid of them, nasty little rascals. 

[WadePatton]

I hit them with Acetone and then left the blank atop my woodstove last night.  Not running it real hot, but a few hours up there will certainly see 150f internally.  Will repeat the process a few more times.

I think i've stunted them at least.

thanks.

[J Henry]

Speaking from a Firemans point on view,,  keep the acetone away from the woodstove/open flames..Make a "tent"/container out of some plastic and put the wood inside,then spray Raid bug killer inside and close the tent/container, up tight.If you have a steamer box that could be used,put the wood in Raid it and close it up..

[eddillon]

I had a Turkish blank that was full of fantastic color and figure.  When I trimmed the face of blank off to skinny it down, I discovered a network of caverns.  I poured on the acetone and out came a critter that looked like an overgrown maggot!  Appeared to succumb to the dose of acetone.  Half an hour later, it was wiggling away.  Had to dispatch it with an 11 1/2 boot heel.  I used the blank on a shotgun.  Shaped it, filled the holes with brown and black dyed Accra-glas. Then sanded it down and oil finished it  Turned out beautiful.  Holes just added character to a gorgeous high grade Ithaca 10 gauge side by side .

[WadePatton]

John was able to pull one specimen with a pick when we first started messing with the blank.

I've seen zero evidence of life since the acetone bath.

If i was going to tent the thing, i'd smoke it like braintan.   

Also, I just saw some "distribution maps" of powderpost beetle and old house borer.  Neither get close to my location.  Must be somethin' else.  Similar but different.

[Eric Krewson]

Could be a wood wasp larva, they don't go as deep as powder post beetles. These larva are the most common we find in osage logs and bow staves that still have the bark and sapwood on. I think the eggs are in the bark and the larva start munching as soon as the tree hits the ground.

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[WadePatton]

Yeah, no, there's no bark and no sapwood.  This blank came from a reputable supplier and had no indication of damage or bugs when i got it.  It probably had a few years of age on it before i got it.

The bugs got into pure and simple heartwood while the blank was idling around my house over a couple of years.

It is unlikely that they are so deep as to affect the build, and a few extra holes won't be notice after I'm done making all my mistakes.  Thought that the situation might have been more common.

Thanks for the replies.

[Mike Brooks]

Better check the wood in your house for critters.....

[Larry Pletcher]

Better check the wood in your house for critters.....

Mike's comment has me a bit worried.  I cut a standing dead ash behind my house this fall.  The tree has been dead for a number of years.  I'm currently burning it in my wood stove.  I can see the galleries under the bark, but haven't seen any larva.  Obviously the building materials in my house are not ash, but it makes me wonder.  Any chance of infecting my house? 

Regards,
Pletch

[Eric Krewson]

In my case I had a big green ping pong table in the basement and started seeing saw dust circles on the table that had fallen form the joists.

[Long John]

Commercially dried wood doesn't have bug problems because the heat from the kiln drying kills them.  If I had valuable wood that was appearing to have bug problems I would either cook the planks at a temperature close to boiling or freeze them at temperatures well below 0.  The cooking is the better of the two options as well as easier to achieve.  Just make sure that the heating occurs slowly and that the end-grain is well sealed to minimize checking.
XI dried some planks years ago.  I made a "kiln" out of 2 4'X8' plywood sheets held apart by 2X6's.  I placed my planks inside on stickers.  At one end of the "kiln" there was a hole in the 2x6 to which I attached a piece of 6" diameter sheet steel duct and an elbow positioned over a fire.  At the other end of the "kiln" was another 6" diameter hole with an elbow and vertical duct "stack".   I had three holes along the 4X8 for a thermometer that I move from spot to spot.   I built a fire, (a charcoal grille could be made to work) and kept in burning nice and low all day, monitoring the temperature inside.  Cooked the wood at 180 F for several hours.

No bugs!

Worked for me.  I hope this helps you.

Best Regards,

J. Cholin

[WadePatton]

My kiln is the top of my woodstove John.  Humidity stays really low in this house in Winter even with a few gallons of water atop the stove at all times. 

As we drilled this wood John noted that it was "very dry".  I don't have a moisture meter.  The endgrain is yet protected by the sawmill sealant.

Appears that the acetone and stove-top treatment has quelled the threat.  I'm about to gouge out a ditch for the bbl and douse it again for good measure...well, right after Santa gets done in my workshop.

Pletch that's not a good question for me.  But if bugs were going to migrate into dwellings from firewood with any great regularity and destructive effect, surely we'd know more about this by now.  The little house i'm in now was built in 1964 and has never been heated by anything other than firewood. It has no issues related to bug that I'm aware.  The issues are from an insufficient footer and worn out roof.  I did replace part of the roof-yet to fix the ceilings.

Anyone who gathers and splits a lot of wood (around here) sees an great assortment of wood-boring creatures and many of those that come after the borers.  I've often thought of keeping a bait box by the splitter and filling it up with the grubs and larvae-then seeing what the fishes think.  My boat is plastic-so no risk there. 



 

[David R. Pennington]

We had a pet crow when I was young who loved the grubs in the fire wood, especially hickory. I nearly killed him splitting fire wood a few times. He would run in and grab them while I was trying to split it.