# Bugs in White Oak



## nealius (Mar 7, 2013)

Hi All,

I picked up some white oak from my local hardwood sawyer a couple of months ago and I finally got around to the layout and milling last night. I noticed that there are a couple boards with some bug holes in them. I haven't found any sign of actual bugs, but I'd like to make sure there are not any active bugs in the wood currently. The sawyer kiln dries to the wood to 5% and I'm measuring about 7% currently (I'm in humid Alabama). Since I purchased it, it's been stickered in my garage shop. Since the bug holes are limited to a couple boards, is that an indication that the bug holes were there before the kiln and the bugs are gone now? Anyway to tell? Here's some pictures of the worst board.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

No way to really tell unless you have the wood heated to abt. 135 degrees. There may not be any infestation, but better safe than waking up to frass all over the floor. Home cures are not really effective.
Bill


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## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

Any signs if "frass" (powdery substance like fine sawdust) in the holes? Any signs of fresh frass below the suspect boards, where it fell when bugs were active? Maybe LumberJock WDHLT15 will join in and give more info and opinion. He's a true expert in this area.

Herb


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

The kiln should have killed anything. The odds of a new infestation are low. I think if it were new, it would have to be powder post beetles.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Just kiln drying does not insure sanitation. The wood must reach an internal temp of 133 degrees F for an hour or two to be dead sure that the beetles are dead, their larvae are dead, and their eggs are dead. To get to 133 degrees F internally, you need to see 150 degrees F in the kiln held at that temp for at least 24 hours. This process is called sterilization. Ask your sawyer if he/she sterilized the load.


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## Sawlog (Oct 17, 2016)

I make and sell farm tables, white oak with worm holes is a great thing for me!!
I do run our kiln up to 150 for a day or two when I'm done drying.


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## AlgerMtnWoodworks (Oct 16, 2016)

Bad news. That's Powderpost Beatles. They will infest your whole woodrack - and your house. The holes are not as much of a problem as the tunnels inside the board. Don't store infected wood long. In the NW they will spread to house timbers. I had to trash about 40 bf of spalted Alder this year. Heartbreaker.


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## Desert_Woodworker (Jan 28, 2015)

Powder Post Beetles to me- here is a link to a product and info
http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control#furniture
Best to all


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## nealius (Mar 7, 2013)

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses! Here's an update:

I thoroughly checked all the boards in the stack and feel confident that only two two boards were affected. Then I called my sawyer. He sterilizes the wood by taking it up to 145 for 24-48 hours, but he still culls out boards with bug holes in them. These likely just slipped through the QA! There was no sign of frass, but I have an "under performing" dust collection system and I moved the boards a few times before I noticed these holes, so I'm not sure I would have noticed frass had it been there. Anyway, the sawyer offered to let me swap them out for unaffected boards. I ran the boards out to him yesterday. It was 45 min each way, but worth it for the peace of mind. If you're near north Alabama, I'd definitely recommend Hobby Hardwood Alabama!

After everything learned, I'm pretty confident that there were no active beetles, all had been sterilized, and the sawyer agreed after looking at the boards. Lesson learned for next time. Thanks everybody!


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

It looks like power post beetles to me. If the wood is as dry as you say and you havent' seen any of the frass or sawdust, you may not have active beetles, eggs or larvae present. I would monitor it at least weekly looking for the telltale signs of new emerging beetles and frass. The dryer you can keep the wood, the better. As an extra precaution, you could wrap the boards in plastic using tape to seal all of the edges. This will not only help prevent spreading but will make sure that any frass is trapped rather than blown away. If you do start seeing signs, you can use the same plastic tent to fumigate the wood.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

You must have been posting your last response about taking the boards back to the sawyer while I was writing my post so consider my comments for future reference.

BTW, I was in Huntsville, AL visiting relatives last week and was bummed to find out that Hobby Hardwood Alabama is only open on Saturday. He has a really nice list of unusual native species that I really wanted to get my hands on. Next time I will plan my trip so I am there when he is open.


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## nealius (Mar 7, 2013)

> You must have been posting your last response about taking the boards back to the sawyer while I was writing my post so consider my comments for future reference.
> 
> BTW, I was in Huntsville, AL visiting relatives last week and was bummed to find out that Hobby Hardwood Alabama is only open on Saturday. He has a really nice list of unusual native species that I really wanted to get my hands on. Next time I will plan my trip so I am there when he is open.
> 
> - Lazyman


Robert and Martha at Hobby Hardwood are super helpful, but they do have day jobs for a few more years. The wood dealing is just that, a hobby. If you're in that situation again, I'd recommend shooting him an email. They might change their schedule around for you. Who knows, they asked me to come out on a Sunday!


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

I would not consider what my friends Robert and Martha are doing a hobby. They have quite a fine operation.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

I've bought some lumber there too. Nice place. Nice people. Nice wood. Reasonable prices. You can find cheaper wood around here, but on balance, Hobby Hardwood is hard to beat.

I'm not going to tell you about my cheaper places. ;-)

-Paul


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## customsawyer (Jul 10, 2016)

Yes Robert and Martha have one fine operation and it is well past being a hobby. They are good friends of mine and I doubt if those beetles were active, as Robert runs a very professional operation.


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## nealius (Mar 7, 2013)

I agree, the Miltons have a fine operation. My point was just that they have limited hours because they both work full time elsewhere. I have no idea how they manage that, but I'm always impressed. Thanks for all your responses!


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