Damn Bugs

[Burkhardt]

A while ago I posted a question of how to best to use a nice slab of spalted Myrtle and got some good recommendations, e.g. regarding the significant warp.

Now, I had other projects going and left the slab in a separate garage (not where I store my other project wood supply). The only other wood in that garage is the framing. When I looked at the slab today I noticed a few peculiar large holes, nicely round , maybe 3/8" diameter like drilled but curving right behind the surface. So, I took a carving wheel and started digging. About an inch below the surface the hole was hard packed with powder but with the small grinder I could not get deep enough to find the culprit, probably some kind of larvae. Reading up on the Net it suggests it could be the "Fake Powderpost Beetle" but honestly I don't care. I am a bit miffed about the nice piece of wood but also concerned that I may have some serious boring bugs in the house. I have not seen a bug making such large holes before. Normally we have only termites here in SoCal. I will fumigate the garage, look at my other wood and probably get a pest guy to check on the house.

Anyone see such a damage or any suggestions? The wood was probably good when I bought it with no surface abnormalities and it is as dry as can be. For now I left the slab outside and may cut it up with a chainsaw later. Here some pics showing the original slab and the recent damage:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0X4X6zjeThaq3QlUMUHG6gor-2bmySHSPpPu3kWm_x1_VnZPEpY9YGoL5TTOgLElm2gGaHd2SV2 uM7GphtABW8OLzxFvKyYXn9EIU5Z_QF__bryhi2DgfcsE3ode9 4WQ5ah7sUri9Jx12a-Ho2eUxWNo8KwQFoFr-7Iy2J4r-SsURASgTwEXFWSTiBrof5NfqsLUb72a2cSGRUe4pILcU3oHlzC 1AUtS-_RAdTeUd26Blac2GAVzUxAlChLk4MdXvb10W6us-5kwKPpovoE3bIAxijycJg3fsa-MVHQQxPbDU-RKnwjUfD_QcHqXJvooBFwe23-L1BG_d30uYfpHSMywFpx3aVAJmqsDxUfCmw1hWQizEDO106dZc I1bCiULTBDzmp2L733vjozos0Fs7IKvQ4fJ29HKYkvokRq2eUR AAmcuB75sqFtk5tsw2is1PwsUZxAqKupt9Rf7hUqsG7bPodS6G kY4RLjNQbwXXKzWKra66FhfwUfGymZWX9GRfqwkBVp7b83ayDl YMRgX-jy0f_qq12ZA-kNnw4WSzCGZytjkfuHxkOTKeWFpgce2toEmZJoBc9LM--1OAPCnxipSLs4u1gjqXg6c2l7Atw=w1888-h950-no

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https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jzuWJUbN2FwxlUZeJkUREYbcqoSb-wVX-ko3g_SKSWV__9ORLVLMXNMCmFA9_3t5DRa3FOG4pZe7__5iAVr 0PkW2ig0WwNzyxP5e7jnyyiA1phGPtNmtc339tN4nh1Otp3PtZ Zhb8uOqfgTxxwhVXEO8OXZVBIMMBDSUaKeQ3W6RHEzwkaZ4cg3 fkIQ9T8h35e6O3BBiszAVyM5aX4OuOQDPCJBBSshryLgZC7vSo vZXu8rDf3RVxKsk1nUk2q7EzrkSI9wH2WLJjm-BrJL0S14j6hyLsUnvXri33cW8hMir3fymHR4HHQ4jdkPndXsgX h_ry8BNaMId01nXcupU1BM_ECIsvNAuiaieHWWuEyM5k6ZtYA9 HjbpqQ8lidWsq76JijgX9roT_PI-q9obupGv1bp7dJLQaKs4cuybfTwCOpsM0WcaE1_ASdoDcBllXM HNcQvkjyeOyIAIPe87iuxB0BN62xPPzyaRvwklgmXUXzY-G2m3zUxxBNOs71POhXdNPfER4aFjILZLpnLgfBnn5b1LT5nyxA xp5AoSPEvJsKJbj-LA7sa2Es_L1RdFTD8eBZRyydlPorj0WPEeJ90Bi8uVMVpvHIzA 9w9a-Ww=w1374-h950-no

[Brian Harnett]

I deal with wood like that all the time, here in NY I would say its from carpenter bees the adult bores perfect round holes and lays her eggs. On softwoods like pine its the exit hole of an adult pine borer thats not pine but it may be an exit hole of some other borer. What I do to remove suspected tenants is blow out the hole with a compressed air blowgun and use a glue syringe with white vinegar in the hole that should finish them off.

[phil_o]

I was about to suggest carpenter bees also. In Massachusetts they can be a serious problem. I know they enjoy cedar house siding.

Phil

[Martin Reid]

G Burkhardt

Possibly House long horn - Hylotrupes bajulus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ejWwgVHzIw

In good faith
Martin

[Chuck Keysor]

As soon as I saw your pictures, I thought you had carpenter bees. They seemed to have become a big problem here in Illinois about 3 or 4 years ago. They like to drill into unpainted wood, leave an almost perfectly round hole, with a nice pile of sawdust down below the hole. They look like regular big bumble bees, but seem to have a bit more black on their bodies.

I had a plague of these critters attack the frames of my house's exterior windows (which for years I had been meaning to paint). I sprayed wasp spray into the holes, and rammed a piece of wire up into the holes. Then I put up my storm windows for the season. In the spring, when I took down my storm windows, I found 6 to 10 dead carpenter bees trapped between my window and the storm window.

From what I have seen at my house, they only drill into unpainted wood. A neighbor of mine had them infest unpainted pressure treated lumber! Check all the unpainted wood in your garage!

Good luck, Chuck

[tri4sale]

As soon as I saw your pictures, I thought you had carpenter bees. They seemed to have become a big problem here in Illinois about 3 or 4 years ago. They like to drill into unpainted wood, leave an almost perfectly round hole, with a nice pile of sawdust down below the hole. They look like regular big bumble bees, but seem to have a bit more black on their bodies.

I had a plague of these critters attack the frames of my house's exterior windows (which for years I had been meaning to paint). I sprayed wasp spray into the holes, and rammed a piece of wire up into the holes. Then I put up my storm windows for the season. In the spring, when I took down my storm windows, I found 6 to 10 dead carpenter bees trapped between my window and the storm window.

From what I have seen at my house, they only drill into unpainted wood. A neighbor of mine had them infest unpainted pressure treated lumber! Check all the unpainted wood in your garage!

Good luck, Chuck

Those holes look just like the carpenter bee holes on my porch columns.

They will bore holes in painted wood. My porch is painted and they made one hole. I killed with wasp spray one day, and a month later a second hole appeared. This time I used foaming carpenter bee spray, you put in the hole at night and spray and it fills the hole with foam, killing them all. If you do during the day, then the bees out foraging won't be killed and will make a new hole somewhere nearby.

[phil_o]

A friend of mine has made carpenter bee traps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RHtEOQj4yo They work. You can find any number of variations on the design.

Phil

[Burkhardt]

O.K., I found maybe not the culprit but at least the offspring of her. Given the fat larva (maybe 3/4" long and 3/8" thick) I tend to agree with the carpenter bee theory.
I have now generously cut off all perforated pieces of the wood. Fortunately the bee (assuming it was one) seems to have liked the outer sapwood better and the center piece of the slab is still usable for smaller projects, but not for a table anymore.
I did not see any holes in the garage framing, maybe the bee found myrtle much more tasty than the douglas fir studs. I have also fumigated everything but the bee(s) must have been there a while ago since the larva was already so big.

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https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_D8kWk6l-vWpUJ8Gu-cbTgb2CbHcGP3ZrxJClcx0YQg9WCDlwOTwtu1xKmdCfP57pL85 1V4PcfmZX4yAmzdGEocZZ-5Iy8FoqUj_MxR_Vn_8xAnr5-9xYS9a5uQLxGQBrfC0yV5LOVyM54ebqQHPk47gJ_ceWVCGjTo-zoolWngeIN5om8XXw9_JCsd708jMPoIpav5vRmRDyLrT37dFlX TVhLX3QI7DE2NtJ7Okx-WWSulwfCFya2y7MOvtmhLnN2QiSsVoCIn3N12A1os4nKtH_8JC ISd35AUDXtjVwlnxczm0TzbjVbkL6FJtCLrBTx6eKQoAz4vNY4 Sux3u6ENN3ZcQEgGil7c_V649MdO8g9g8ynk_mlviFKzIHNX6U JL6sjh0TkKsa1mGxNryhRdGkAiQ-wMNY6CfRr4v2M2bWZHlCj-RJdTOqrVyAvqr_nEUNnRblgoh7m_S8-zuHyB2e418Fma1yaStxOwMAXV2eNAlJXN1vel2wuPmlRjP--hsUQK2jQgvc0jOBzStvNeA3baXMk82byVuTC_VFjvOUSlDsG7C jv6WuJFOSkZPKm0qCj5pCbWnP226S0jn7NPOBxkdzwoj5rE1bu 5YEzw=w1299-h950-no