#21
I built a box app. 16' x 5' x 4' to enclose some wood from the old barn.  It is infested with powder post beetles but I want to save it.  It is loosely piled in.
I have read that hot temps between 120-140 for 24 hours will kill them.
I have read that freezing temps for 5-7 days will kill them.
I didn't know if there was a third option.  Any consumer bug bombs or something of that sort that I could throw in there to kill the buggers?

If we have a prolonged cold snap this winter, I plan to remove the end plywood to freeze them but a multi-pronged approach would make me feel better.
And if there are no consumer chemicals aerosols available, I will also try to use heat next summer.

TIA

Toney
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#22
Heat is probably the most sure, and it's what's used commercially. 130F is the magic number where they die, and the 24 hours is to make sure the heat gets into the core of the wood. Wood kilns usually run up to 150F for a final "sterilise" cycle, holding that temp for a few hours takes car of them.  Some have had success wrapping the wood in black plastic and leaving it out in the sun for the day.
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#23
(11-08-2022, 10:15 PM)ianab Wrote: Heat is probably the most sure, and it's what's used commercially. 130F is the magic number where they die, and the 24 hours is to make sure the heat gets into the core of the wood. Wood kilns usually run up to 150F for a final "sterilise" cycle, holding that temp for a few hours takes car of them.  Some have had success wrapping the wood in black plastic and leaving it out in the sun for the day.

+1.  There are chemical surface treatments ,  but some of the bugs or larve are deep in the wood and may not get killed by the chemicals.
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#24
I bought about 200 bf of, somewhat green, mesquite and discovered the little demons.  Using Bora-Care, I sprayed and stickered the boards three times, I think.  By the time I was ready to start my project, no problem.  I was lucky, only the 4/4 stock was infected.
"I tried being reasonable..........I didn't like it." Clint Eastwood
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#25
Little sawdust piles are signs of active infestation. If you see adult beetles, then its definitely active.

If all you're seeing is holes, they may have already emerged. Depends on how old the wood is.

Internal temp of 140° is the target to sterilize lumber.

To each his own, when I see the little holes it goes in the burn pile. The reason is that you never know whether there are dormant larvae or not. Since they can emerge up to 5 years later that's a problem.

I had adults flies emerging from a cabinet door 3 1/2" after installing it.
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#26
Thanks to everyone for the replies.

Heat it is!  Next summer I will cook those little buggers!

I understand the sentiment of chucking it but the spalted maple turning blocks look great with some bug holes in them!
Big Grin
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#27
Sounds like you have a good plan that will work.

Allow me to chime in with my experience with those powder post critters.

Soon after installing my log stairway , I noticed the little holes , looked like
someone used a drill bit all along the stair stringers .  10inch pine logs.
Once I figured it was Beatles ,
 I contracted local pest control, They had had just started using a Borax product called TimBor. 
It is borax thats it, I had them come out we drilled holes from the steps into the stringers
mixed with water injected with straws that  saturated the wood very deep and throughly.
Worked like a charm been 20years since and still trouble free.

After I found out what Timbor was I tried to buy it myself, and of course
one chemical  distributor in San Jose said they only sell to licensed pert control
specialists..  This product to benign , no problem around pets or in case obviously indoors,
So I go to my local hardware and spoke with their purchasing agent and
they were able to purchase it and now have  it on the shelve.
Open market now available on line too, I use it  around the property , is controls
carpenter ants , termites , pine beatle , and of course the powder post beatle issue.
Stops termites dead in their tracks and stays in the wood , crystallizes in the lumber when dry. 
Prevents dry rot too..  Yep best thing since sliced bread .. IMHO

 

Works for me , non toxic to boot.. Cheers
[attachment=45091]
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#28
(11-11-2022, 04:00 PM)Tankwood Wrote: Worked like a charm been 20years since and still trouble free.

After I found out what Timbor was I tried to buy it myself, and of course
one chemical  distributor in San Jose said they only sell to licensed pert control
specialists..  This product to benign , no problem around pets or in case obviously indoors,
So I go to my local hardware and spoke with their purchasing agent and
they were able to purchase it and now have  it on the shelve.
Open market now available on line too, I use it  around the property , is controls
carpenter ants , termites , pine beatle , and of course the powder post beatle issue.
Stops termites dead in their tracks and stays in the wood , crystallizes in the lumber when dry. 
Prevents dry rot too..  Yep best thing since sliced bread .. IMHO

Works for me , non toxic to boot.. Cheers
You have to understand the life cycle. As I understand it, the holes are where an adult beetle has already emerged, not where the larva have bored in. Once the larva have invaded and start to mature they advance to the pupa stage, then mature to adult. The little piles of sawdust are pushed out as the adult beetle emerges. The larva can't penetrate finish or paint, so unless they find unfinished wood the life cycle is essentially stopped. Once they've all emerged, the storm is over. It can take up to 4 years for all of them to emerge.

I guess what I'm saying is I doubt the Timbor did any good.

As far as using lumber, the little piles of sawdust = active infestation. I bought some poplar from a sawmill and since they had a kiln I assumed it was kiln dried. Bad assumption!

2 years later, those little holes began to appear in the stiles of a built in door, as well as several drawer faces and panels on a bathroom vanity. I found several dead adult beetles b/c we have regular pest control. Injecting the wood with BoraCare was futile. It took about 3 months and the holes stopped appearing. They've been filled and painted over now, and about a year later there are no new beetle holes.

Just my experience. NOT what you want to discover!! Bored from stile into MDF panel, emerged through paint.
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#29
(11-15-2022, 09:32 AM)rwe2156 Wrote: You have to understand the life cycle.  As I understand it, the holes are where an adult beetle has already emerged, not where the larva have bored in.  Once the larva have invaded and start to mature they advance to the pupa stage, then mature to adult.  The little piles of sawdust are pushed out as the adult beetle emerges.  The larva can't penetrate finish or paint, so unless they find unfinished wood the life cycle is essentially stopped.  Once they've all emerged, the storm is over.  It can take up to 4 years for all of them to emerge.

I guess what I'm saying is I doubt the Timbor did any good.

As far as using lumber, the little piles of sawdust = active infestation.  I bought some poplar from a sawmill and since they had a kiln I assumed it was kiln dried.  Bad assumption!

2 years later, those little holes began to appear in the stiles of a built in door, as well as several drawer faces and panels on a bathroom vanity.  I found several dead adult beetles b/c we have regular pest control.  Injecting the wood with BoraCare was futile. It took about 3 months and the holes stopped appearing.  They've been filled and painted over now, and about a year later there are no new beetle holes.

Just my experience.  NOT what you want to discover!! Bored from stile into MDF panel, emerged through paint.
 Timbor worked for me..  Great alternative to poison kills em dead     
You are certainly right as you understand it.    

Be safe
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#30
The various Borate treatments are useful. If I've milled borer vulnerable wood in the past I've dipped the rough but dried boards in a saturated solution of borax to deter the bugs. So far it's worked. But I know it's only  a surface treatment to discourage the little sods from moving in. I wouldn't trust it to take care of an active infestation, where a heat treatment will get them, no matter how deep in the wood they are. At  least messing with 
Borax is fairly safe. The box warns you not to eat it of course, but if's relatively harmless to humans and pets. 

I think Timbor is basically borate in a solvent, allowing it to penetrate a bit further onto the wood. Similar to commercial pressure treating with borate, and why you need to watch the different levels of "treated". Locally borax pressure treated is known as "H1", and is for bug resistance only. It won;t last in the weather as the borate is water soluble. There are H3, 5, 7 etc with more potent and permanent treatments.
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