killing bugs in old wood

[chris 71]

anyone know a sure fire way to make sure any termites or bugs are dead in an old piece of wood i found on the forest floor.
it has lots of holes maybe from termites. i want to use it but dont want to bring it in the house till i know there arent any that might get into my house.
thanks

[jOe~]

Gas chamber. Regular oven. Micro wave. The holes are probably from beetles. Termites bore large tunnels. Then too, there may be spores on it. You know, the kind that produce the magic mushrooms that GlennT keeps warning us about. I don't know if Miracle Grow would help or not.

[chris 71]

thanks joe its a big piece so the oven and micro wave are out. and the squirrels probably already had some fun with contemplating new way to gather nuts. or fungus after eating the mushrooms lol

[jOe~]

Gas chamber then. Wrap it in plastic and include moth balls or connect it to your cars' exhaust.

[The Forge]

Why worry about it. When you start carving on the wood, the noise and vibrations will drive all the bugs crazy and they will come out.:cool:

[I.Chonov]

Once I worked in a furniture shop specialized in making old-looking things out of real old timber from very old buildings - they used to give everything a good coat of gasoline , the owner claimed it kills all kind of bugs and worms.Several days latter it doesn't even smell of it , nobody never came complaining about bugs , so it probably worked

[chris 71]

thanks for the additional tips guys think i will try the moth balls or the gasoline. the vibrations do sort of work. but i had another piece that when i worked on it the bugs i think termites came running out and on me and i think they were biting me

[craigktx]

when your carving if the grubs are in the wood you will find them.
the only way to kill the ones deep inside is by heat,big logs require fumigation.
fumigation still might miss some of them.
i you dont see them when you carve the piece, they most likely are not in the wood any more.

you have to bring home the queen for termites to infest your house,most likely their just workers.

if you see sawdust coming from a hole after your finished carving then there are still grubs in the wood.
watch it for a few weeks.

do you have fire ants there?
they will clean up a log in no time.
thats my favorite way.

[wolff]

When I was an undergrad, in NY, I put together a group show. My piece was a large oak carving, with two legs set on top of two 14x14, 48 inch tall cedar posts, as if it were a giant striding. I'm not sure what the cedar was originally, but there was a pile of maybe 30 or 40 14"x14"x12' or so timbers outside. Noone was using it, so it was ok for me to use some of it. Old stuff, but with a great presence.

The show was in February, and a couple of days before installation I cut and leveled the cedar posts outside, where they had been stored. With the work finished I set it up in the gallery and went to get some dinner or something. I came back late that evening to finish lighting the show, and the carpenter ant colony I hadn't noticed was just beginning to thaw out and had spread over much of the gallery floor.

I think I wound up using something toxic to kill them, and the show went off fine. I don't worry about it so much now (though I don't bring frozen wood into a clean space without a very thorough inspection anymore), but sticking the wood in a plastic bag and then fuming it with acetone or some other toxin will probably kill most stuff near the surface. Deep down, though I bet it takes a long time.

Encouraging the wood to dry out and denying any organisms water will kill them.

[I.Chonov]

This kind of trouble is one of the reasons I don't use logs and wood like that , I prefer to glue sold blocks out of boards - a friend of mine found a big piece , (like a heavy branch) of algarrobo timber , wich is red inside , and white close to the bark , and made a beautifull, curved support for a glass-top table....Some days later , saw dust started to pile under that table , and then the grubs started to fall on the floor- sausage-sized :eek: things that could probably fight back if you attacked them bare-handed:D. So , I will keep using that glue , bottle , you know...

[vern terry]

Chris,

Contact a local company that tents houses for termites. Arrange to have your piece of wood slipped inside under the wrap covering the house. Pick up your wood after the house has been gassed. Good Luck!

[sculptor]

or
take moth balls or moth crystals and dilute in paint thinner or toluene(be careful it's a real liver killer) and paint the wood, as the thinner takes the mothballs into the wood, then evaporate, the moth crystals recrystallize within the wood making it toxic to all god's children---kills even dormant larvae
then
if you intend to use the wood inside
seal it, or wash the toxins away

[craigktx]

or
take moth balls or moth crystals and dilute in paint thinner or toluene(be careful it's a real liver killer) and paint the wood, as the thinner takes the mothballs into the wood, then evaporate, the moth crystals recrystallize within the wood making it toxic to all god's children---kills even dormant larvae
then
if you intend to use the wood inside
seal it, or wash the toxins away

I might have to try it, I have a few critters enjoying my art.