If you review our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn the basic biology of this insect which is explained at the beginning of the article. As you'll learn, adults emerge from infested wood and one of the first things they do is seek a new place on which to mate and lay eggs. Remember, cardboard is made from wood and wood by products. It has lots of voids and spaces and in fact can serve as a great location for many pests to live and nest. So to answer your question; it is entirely possible for boxes stored in a room where powderpost beetles are known to be active to in turn get infested. Books and other paper products are powderpost beetle targets and no doubt boxes would be too if kept in the right environment. However, certain conditions would have to be met for this to happen.

First and foremost, the cardboard would have to be "pure" enough to allow them to live. There are lots of extra ingredients that make their way into the cardboard making process. Many of these extra "ingredients" could be dangerous to insects acting as a type of "insecticide". Due to the wide range of cardboard making processes being done, there is no easy way to test any one box to see if it's powderpost beetle friendly or not. For this reason it makes most sense to just assume any one box can harbor an active infestation and with that approach, you should be able to decide what to do.

If the boxes are to be stored for any length of time, you should consider treating them with something like PT-PHANTOM AEROSOL. This product goes on dry, lasts a long time and is just about odorless. It will do a good job of holding off most any pest including PPB should they attempt to land and forage inside the box. Alternatively, you could opt to treat the room where the beetles are active if this main problem has not yet been addressed. I'm sure one of the treatment options listed in our article will do the job.

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

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

Phantom Aerosol:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_aerosol.html

Please help!

If you read through our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn there are several options available for treating this problem. No doubt fumigation is one. However, it's both costly and not a permanent solution. In other words, the treatment does not leave a residual so in the end, your boat will be vulnerable to the same attack and damage. In the long run, taking some time to treat it with a product like BORACARE would make sense.

Boracare is mentioned for use throughout our article. It's unique in that it will penetrate wood through the grain when applied to unfinished sides. I suggest you make the infested wood unfinished by removing any paint or other cosmetic surface that may have been applied. Next, apply 1-2 coats of the Boracare solution and once it cures for a few days, you should be set to go. You can then leave the wood unfinished or you can paint/stain it again as desired. Once treated, it will be safe from wood destroying insects and mold.

I would also try to treat as much of the wood as possible. In other words, I'd try to treat as much of the "same" wood as I could find that's readily accessible on the boat. Since these beetles tend to focus their attention on a particular type wood, treating all the same wood on board would insure you didn't miss any activity that might be hidden from the eye right now.

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

Powderpost Beetle Control:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

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

If you read through our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn there are two main products we recommend for use on wood. TIMBOR is one of them. But the main limiting feature of this product is that it doesn't penetrate the wood. Timbor is best used as a preventive product since it will lie on the surface of treated wood keeping damaging insects and algae at bay. But if you have an existing problem, the BORACARE is clearly what you must use as we discuss in our FURNITURE TREATING SECTION of our article. Boracare is the only product that will penetrate the wood through and through thus insuring you get all the feeding larvae. Since the wood you've described has an unfinished side or two, it should be easy to effectively get it treated.

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

Powderpost Beetle Article:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

Timbor:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page51.html

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

Furniture Treating (section of article):  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control#furniture_beetle_treatments

If you read through our POWDER POST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn that in fact one of the more common ways to treat for wood destroying pests like powder post beetles is to "tent" and fumigate the infested structure. So to answer your question about whether or not this option is "realistic"; the answer is yes. Tenting and fumigation is a very effective way to kill what's active and in theory, eradicate the problem. From the service companies view, it's smart for two main reasons. 1) It's a lot of work for their employees with a large price tag and 2), it's the best way for them to eliminate the risk of the beetles appearing elsewhere in the structure. Remember, if they don't do a good treatment and the beetles are found somewhere else in the structure, chances are high their customer will be upset. Tenting and fumigation tends to minimize such complaint calls and from a liability perspective, a smart way to handle such treatments. But due to the extreme cost of the process, it's not always the most practical for the customer. It sounds like this is the case regarding your church.

Fortunately there are options. One of the best is the BORACARE we recommend throughout our article. Boracare both penetrates wood real well and lasts for many years making it ideally suited for wood destroying pests. A good treatment would no doubt kill off the active larvae in the wood you treat as well as protect it for many years from reinfestation. But remember the one drawback of using Boracare is that only the wood you treat will be protected. In most cases we suggest treating as much of the structure as possible and in this case I would recommend the same. The treatment itself isn't that costly; it's really the labor involved that can take both time and patience. But when it comes to saving cash, this would be one of the best ways your church could save a huge expense and help to protect their structure for many, many years to come.

Give us a call if you need to discuss how much product you might need to use or if you have any other question. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290.

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

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

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

You could but it wouldn't be the best treatment option for several reasons. If you read our POWDER POST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll note we don't list Cypermethrin as a recommended product to use. This is because it won't penetrate the wood being treated nor will it last long. As our article explains, the larvae of the beetles are what's eating it. To get control of the problem, you need to use a product that will both penetrate through and through as well as last a good long time. Though Cypermethrin can be used for shallow living wood boring pests, it's not designed to get deep into the wood grain which is where most powder post beetle larvae will be living.

We do suggest BORACARE to be used for this type of application as it will definitely penetrate and last many years. A good treatment will not only kill the active larvae but will also embed the wood so no other wood destroying organism's can move in.

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

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/455864.html

Thanks!

There are many types of powderpost beetles. In other words, this grouping includes a wide range of insects and trying to determine the exact species based on droppings alone is quite difficult if not impossible. This is mostly due to the fact that for any one species the droppings will vary based on the wood on which it is feeding. To make matters more complicated, the level of moisture in the wood being consumed will affect the way the feces molds and shapes. So for every section of log from one tree, the feces pellet might vary dramatically and in fact can look quite different – even when generated by the same beetle. Mix into this the variable of all the different species of wood any one insect might eat and the list of what their droppings can look like will quickly add up to many thousands. These will all have different textures, colors and "looks". For obvious reasons this is not a practical way to determine the species and I'm not sure such a catalog will ever be compiled.

The good news is that based on your description of the "saw dust cylinders", I'm guessing what's happening is that the frass is having a hard time exiting the galleries and is therefore being pushed and compacted a bit. This will lead to a long, worm like dropping which is loosely packed. I've seen them upwards of an inch before and the ones I've seen are quite delicate as you've described. And though there are several types of powderpost beetles that could be living in the logs, there are many other wood destroying beetles that love to target oak trees so again, the list is quite long as to what it might be and I'll have to refrain from guessing what you have for this reason. So what's the "good news" then?

Well, the good news is that whatever species you have, it's definitely eating the white oak you'd like to use to make some furniture. As our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL article explains, it's the larvae which feed and ultimately pupate to emerge as egg laying adults. To stop this cycle, all you'll need to do is treat with the BORACARE we have listed in the article. Once it penetrates the wood through and through, it won't matter what's actually eating the wood. That's because the Boracare will handle any kind of wood destroying beetle, weevil, borer or even termite. I suggest you get the logs you'd like to save treated ASAP and once they're allowed to cure for a few weeks, the problem will be on the way of being shut down and eliminated.

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

Powderpost Beetle Control:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

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

First, it's important to understand the impact of "humidity" and moisture relative to powderpost beetles. In general, the reduction of moisture can reduce and in some cases eliminate infestations. But this is rare. To illustrate this point, we have had plenty of customers move west to the dessert. As you know, this region is about as arid as it can be. One would think infested furniture brought to this region would somehow be "cured" of any beetle infestation if the lack of moisture was important. Well, turns out it didn't matter much. Furniture which was infested remained infested. There was no discernable difference following the move and in the end, treatments were needed to eradicate the beetle problem. The point I'm trying to make here is that the reduction or increase in moisture won't much matter in the short term if you have a piece which is infested or showing signs of activity. In fact, it won't much affect eggs or pupae. Larvae deep inside infested wood won't be affected by it and in the end, the biggest impact felt by changing moisture levels will probably be the emerging adults. No doubt they do better when it's moist and humid. They'll live longer and therefore stand a better chance of both surviving poor living conditions as well as laying more eggs. But as our POWDERPOST BEETLE ARTICLE explains, the adults don't do any damage so they shouldn't be the focus of your treatments anyway. To solve any beetle problem you need to get stop the eggs and larvae.

As for the adults posing a threat to other parts of the home and/or furniture in the home; this is always a concern and the main reason why you need to treat current infestations. Stopping larvae from feeding and pupating means there will be an end to the adults and that in of itself will prevent the problem from spreading.

I'm not sure of your question "Can applying Bora Care drive live adults out into our home?"; whether you treat or not won't affect when pupae are ready to hatch and exit. In other words, they'll do so whether you treat or not. And yes, you can most definitely feel safe about using BORACARE anywhere in the home. It's about as "green" of a product you can find using only boron as the active. If you follow the safety guidelines explained in our Safety Video which is on the Boracare page, you'll be fine using in these areas. It has no odor, is easy to work with once mixed and it's presence won't be detectable once applied to any wood which accepts the treatment.

As for what was the source of the infestation; that's anyone's guess.  I strongly suspect the mahogany table had them from the time you first got it. As our article explains, it's quite common for some species of beetles to not emerge for years but this is all dependent upon their species life cycle. Personally, my "preference" for hardwood floors or furniture with exit holes is to leave them since I like the look. I also feel it adds character to the material since it's only natural to have them as they would in the wild. Plugging and filling it with something to me takes away from the wood but this is obviously a personal decision.

In the end our suggestions are what we explain in our article; treat the lumber/wood/furniture/structure you know is infested. Similar wood in the home should be closely monitored since adults will be looking for a good site to lay eggs and will generally tend to choose wood of the same species if available. Treat anything you can that's exposed and vulnerable and keep a look out for new exit holes anywhere in the home.

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

Thanks for your forum and for your reply.

As explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, the emerging beetles are adults which have just recently hatched from pupae development. And though they could migrate away from the flooring to some other wood in the home, I wouldn't be too worried about it actually happening. Based on the amount of bamboo seemingly everywhere in the house, I would focus your attention on those pieces for now as I'm sure any adults will be doing the same (unless of course you have lots of other bamboo pieces throughout the structure).

The treatment option you highlighted above would in fact be the best overall approach to getting rid of the beetle infestation. Stripping the floor of it's current finish will be required if you want to use BORACARE. Though tedious to do, it's really the only option unless you choose to simply remove and replace all of the flooring. Bamboo is subject to many kinds of wood boring pests and a good treatment of Boracare would no doubt preserve it indefinitely so if you like the look and want to keep it, I'm sure the effort will be worth the benefit. The good news bamboo is easy to treat and overall treatments work well.

After the wood is prepared, be sure to vacuum away all the dust making the wood open to the treatment as much as possible. If you need some help calculating how much material you'll need to use, give us a call toll free at 1-800-877-7290 and help.

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

Powderpost Beetle Control:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

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

First, it's not likely your entire house is "completely infested" so you can relax. But if you read our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn this pest won't magically leave and go away unless you do some treating. BORACARE would in fact be the way to go and based on your description of the problem, I would advise you treat ASAP to insure the hutch doesn't continue to sustain any more damage.

As our article explains, the beetles leaving are going to try and mate to lay eggs so there is always a risk of new activity starting elsewhere. But the two things you didn't mention was if the beetles were appearing in other areas of the home and if the log home is made with oak like the hutch. My guess is the bulk of the beetles you're seeing are dead and most of any that are still alive are close to the hutch. I'm also going to guess your log home isn't made from oak but I have seen some built with this hardwood so it does happen. The point here is that the beetles leaving your hutch would be seeking hardwood and unless you've got a lot of other pieces located in the home made with oak, the odds are low that a new population will start up elsewhere.

At this point I suggest you treat with the Boracare and focus your attention on the hutch. A good couple of coats and you should be able to knock out the current infestation thus preserving the piece for a good long time and prevent these ppbeetles from spreading elsewhere.

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

Powderpost Beetle Contrl:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

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

The frame should be treated like any other piece of wood; either the BORACARE or the JECTA GEL would do a good job of taking care of problem

If the infestation is active, there is no doubt more beetles will emerge.

Powder post beetles only eat wood so the fabric is not at risk directly from the insects.

There is always the risk that any piece of furniture or part of the structure that demonstrates an active powder post beetle problem can lead to other items made of wood getting infested too.

Treat as explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL article. The section on furniture treatments applies to this picture frame.

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

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

Jecta Gel:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page156.html

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