First, I know the list of companies that fumigate for powder post beetles in the state of Georgia is in fact a short list. However, I'm not sure there is only one company that will perform this service. To find out for sure, give the department of pesticides a call at 404-656-4958. they're based in Atlanta and I'm sure they have a referral list readily available.

Second, if you take some time to read through our POWDER POST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn there is in fact alternative options for treating wood infested with this pest. One of the more common treatment options involves spraying a product called BORACARE and if you expand your search of "companies to hire" to parameters that include using Boracare, I expect you'll find a much bigger list of contractors available for hire. I also think you'll find the cost to be substantially less compared to fumigating.

Lastly, if you're so inclined to do the work on your own, you can choose to apply the Boracare yourself and in the end, save the most money. At this time Boracare would be your best option if you want to treat yourself and based on the size of the cabin involved, I'm sure the cost and effort would be manageable. Call us for more details if you wish to pursue this option; we can be reached at 1-800-877-7290.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Powder Post Beetle Control Article:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

Boracare:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page52.html

Mesquite wood will commonly have wood beetle activity. Ideally, it should always be treated prior to applying any sealant – especially if it is a work of art which shows signs of activity when being worked on. This is just the smart thing to do if you are giving or selling the work because most people will be unhappy with anything that contains insects which they intend on using inside their home. Whether their concern is warranted or not is not the issue; any type of wood product these days that is being sold as furniture or art should not contain insects which could in turn present other problems or lead to infestations elsewhere. I strongly suggest wood you would like to use which shows insect signs to be treated first with some BORACARE. It's not costly to do, will kill any larva that are feeding and most important, will insure the wood can't lead to any major infestation in some neighboring wood. The treatment won't have any impact on the wood stock and once it dries following the application, you'll be able to safely work with it as if it was completely natural and untreated. BORACARE uses boron as the active which is safe for people and pets to be around so it's environmentally friendly. But to little insects like wood beetles it is not something they can digest when eating it.

At this point I don't know if the JECTA GEL treatment will suffice. It can travel 4-6 inches from any one treatment hole but the hole must have enough material in it for this to happen. Additionally, the wood must have a grain which is receptive to the gel and allows it to flow naturally. If you drill larger holes and place them every 6 inches, I'm sure you'll be able to get good coverage. Alternatively, if you remove the current finish and treat with Boracare, allow it to cure and then reseal it, I'm sure you'll get the desired control as well. But placing some Jecta Gel in 1-2 holes probably won't do the job since it does need to be applied in a "shotgun" pattern to get good coverage through the wood under normal conditions. If your piece has many turns and odd sized cuts, the leaching of the gel may be hampered or limited making uniform coverage difficult. Without seeing a picture or knowing the shape and size, it' hard to tell for sure so if you need a better answer, send some photo's and I'll try to assess the likelihood of success based on the new data.