I finally got to some oak that I split about 2 years ago. I noticed a lot of wood particles / dust as I was loading up a wheel barrel. Under the bark I could see holes left by bugs. Any ideas on this? No sign of any bugs still in the wood but they left their trail and lots of saw dust behind.. it is below 30 degrees here in tropical NJ so I figured the bugs are gone or dead. Should I have any concerns bringing this wood in the house?
There’s a two-lined chestnut borer that attacks oaks under the bark, but those tracks look too large to be the culprit. Was this a dead or live tree when you cut it?
It was a live tree I think the bugs got to it after I stacked it. When I was splitting it it was clean
Hmm, I had some peach that was just like that this year. The wood was off some old live trees I cut about 1 1/2 years ago. Nothing on the pecan, apple and box elder that were stacked next to it. All were cut at about the same time, but the peach was basically covered with lichens when I cut it. The first of it I picked up and threw in the wagon just covered my coat with the dusty particles. I'd take a picture of it, but the last bits have been knocked clean and will be going in the stove over the coming cold days.
No doubt a borer of some sort. Not an issue, just a little messy. Extra BTU’s if they’re still in there.
Yes, the flat heads will make tracks under the bark when they are small. Don't usually see any fine dust from them though. Powder post beetles love oak as well, they will leave the fine dust.
Yeah just brun it. I had powder post beetles in my stacks. And they spread from oak to cheery to ash. But they didn’t survive the fire!
I've seen the same thing in my locust piles before. Just a boring beatle according to the local house spraying company. Makes a mess when moving, but I just knock as much off as possible outside and haul it in and burn it.
Seems creepy crawlie worms/borers are inevitable in stacks no matter how well protected. Saw similar trails under some hickory bark in some 2.5 year old splits i was moving the other day. Stack was well covered too. As backwoods said, just burn it.
I wouldn't leave it in the house for days upon days because they will wake up in the warmth but yeah just burn it. Where in NJ?
I see that often in my oak stacks here in NJ. I don't have wood in the house so not much of a concern.
I see some signs of that in my wood but never have any bugs in the house and i have quite a bit of wood in house and garage. Been doing this for a long time, bugs like warm moist places (don't we all).
