Woodworm in log stacks?

[Two Acres]

Not that close however it's in a wooden log shed.

I am also slightly concerned that if I sold logs with woodworm in the customer could comlpain if they spread to wooden items in there house or garden.

 

I think you don't have much of a problem. The woodworm is going to be inside the log for 2 - 5 years, so most likely your firewood will be burnt before they emerge. If they do emerge then the adult beetles arn't going to fly very far. I would expect they'll stay on your woodpile. They'll also only live for a couple of weeks. It could be worthwhile to treat your shed if you haven't already and obviously you don't want to be leaving logs in your house over the summer.

[gensetsteve]

The wood worm only migrate for a month in the summer I think ?

[Johnpl315]

Thanks for the advice guys. Sounds like the firewood is not to much of a problem. I have just milled out a tree and found some more woodworm, bane of my life! I will take it to the milling forum

[Johnpl315]

I am getting more concerned I have worked out they are from one oak tree I milled, there are about 40 net bags of the off cuts. If there is no way to contain them I am thinking burn the lot as there are the actuall beetles I have seen crawling out!

[Rob D]

With woodworm I would not worry too much. If the conditions are right for woodworm - they will be there.

 

So whether you introduce them into a house or not - if there is wood in there somewhere that provides them with what they need - they will aready have found it and be tunneling about in there!

 

Sapwood of oak is one of the worst though - I now treat this if I make anything with a waney edge... seems to work well.

 

This stuff (recommended by Tommer9) seems to work well.

 

 

Buy Universal Woodworm and Dry Rot Killer Online UK

 

 

 

[Drifter2406]

I have just noticed I have them in my log pile that i keep on grass at the end of the garden covered with a tarp, this is on an Ash tree though. I also have only seen holes and nothing else, should I be woried?

Edited August 26, 2022 by Drifter2406

[spudulike]

You only need to worry about the infamous Nomex Jacket Woodworm

[Dan Maynard]

2 minutes ago, Drifter2406 said:

I have just noticed I have them in my log pile that i keep on grass at the end of the garden covered with a tarp, this is on an Ash tree though. 

It is likely to be ash bark beetle, have a careful look and see if it's holes in the bark but not from the ends of the logs. This is very common and because it's not in the wood itself not a problem at all.

[Steven P]

Get it dried, bring it in the house, throw it on the fire straight away....

 

We had (have?) woodworm in some floorboards, I did some reading. House wood has been treated now though the stuff I used doesn't penetrate the wood very far, what is in there is still munching away but when they try to get out they eat the stuff and die.

 

Yup woodworm beetles come out of the wood to breed and there is about a month when they do this, each beetle lives outside the wood for only a few days (or weeks, I can't remember) - just checked April to August, in the winter the larva are busy munching away in the wood. Wood goes onto fire, end of that one. I am not convinced that they have a calendar in there so if you bring cold wood into the house and it warms up, the larva might just think it is breeding season and come out mid winter - how quick it does this I don't know. The tip here is to only bring in what you need.then burn it

 

You might be unlucky and get woodworm from firewood, I am not convinced about mine reckoning I had 2 lifecycles of 7 years happen for the floorboard to give way and the fire had been in for7 years then. I would however recommend treating the wood in the house just as a precaution - a DIY job but awkward depends where you have to go (I was under the floorboard in the crawl space spraying it all) - can be done as and when you get access to the floorboards (say when you get a new carpet perhaps)

 

 

As a matter or routine I tend to knock my logs together now as well before I bring them in, knocks most beasties off, and if you are delivering to customers in the winter transporting the logs should also knock off any loose bugs reducing the likelihood of taking beetles to customers houses

[Drifter2406]

2 hours ago, Dan Maynard said:

It is likely to be ash bark beetle, have a careful look and see if it's holes in the bark but not from the ends of the logs. This is very common and because it's not in the wood itself not a problem at all.

That's a relief, no none on the ends of the logs just the bark. Thanks for the reply