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

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

First, the easy question to answer: I'm not aware of anyone getting bit by a powderpost beetle. Now could it happen? Most definitely. Adults have chewing mouth parts used to bore their way out of the host wood where they live. These same mouth parts could no doubt impart a bite upon most anything including a human. But there is nothing they want (normally) on a human so I don't think this is anything to be concerned about nor have I heard of it ever happening. But based on their physical design, they could.

Second, the treatment of your RV would be much the same as if the infestation was in your home, a piece of furniture or any other piece of wood. You'll need to identify the host wood where the larvae are feeding. This wood will have to treated with some of the products we have listed in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL article. Most people find the BORACARE or JECTA GEL to be ideally suited for RV's but this will depend somewhat on the design of the vehicle, where the wood is mostly located, etc. I suggest you get a good handle on these beetles and the products needed to treat a local infestation and then decide if you need further assistance. At that time you can call us toll free at 1-800-877-7290 for more 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

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

Thank you for your help.

If you read the section of our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE which discusses how to treat furniture, you'll see you have several options. In the article you'll learn that right now there are adults emerging and in fact they're not the ones doing the bulk of the damage. The real problem is the larvae in the wood which are eating away deep inside the piece. To stop the cycle you must reach them with a poison that can penetrate the wood through and through. Fumigation is most certainly one way to treat and it can be done by a service company for hire. However, this process is quite costly and many times will far outweigh the value of the piece. If you find this to be the case here you might decide to do some treating yourself. In the long run this will be a fraction of the cost compared to fumigation but it will require some effort on your part.

The products we recommend for such treating yourself include the JECTA GEL and the BORACARE. Neither will hurt the furniture finish and both will soak throughout the wood which will effectively kill feeding larvae. Jecta Gel is injected through holes you'll need to drill in discrete locations. Once injected, the gel will permeate through the wood and if done properly, provide a uniform barrier through which the larvae won't be able to eat.

The Boracare is easier to apply but will be limited to only being applied to sides of the piece which are untreated and don't have any finish. In other words, you cannot apply it over urethane or any other outside finish that will "block" it from penetrating. So you'll have to use it on sides "inside" the piece or underneath/bottom sides which are still unfinished and raw. Boracare is odorless and can be either sprayed or painted on so it's easy to work with. In some cases a few applications will be needed to insure deep penetration but when done right, the job can last for many years if not indefinitely.

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

Furniture Treating:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control#furniture_beetle_treatments

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

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

I have seen various crates, pallets and other storage structures made from wood which get infested with powderpost beetles. This is especially true if your business is importing product from other continents and countries. As mentioned in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL article, we have seen a huge surge in the number of species active here in the States. There is no doubt the global economy is the big reason for this insurgence and with it comes a faster pace at which damage can occur.

Now if the wood in question is unfinished and something you'd like to protect for long term use, the BORACARE would be the best option. As our article explains, it will penetrate through and through killing both active larvae and providing long term protection that could last for many years down the road.

Here are direct links to the article and Boracare mentioned above:

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

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

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

2) I make musical instruments and have already finished a bunch of wood to the correct dimensions etc.  Is there a way to determine if these boards have eggs inside them?  Would freezing the boards help destroy any eggs that could be in the wood?  The wood is no more than 1/4" thick.

If you read our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll notice there is a picture below the 5th paragraph showing exit holes on a hardwood. In fact the firth paragraph explains in detail what it is you're seeing on your English Sycamore boards; it's actually adults boring out exiting the wood after completing their 3rd stage (pupae stage) of development. As our article explains, when you treat there will be a certain population of these pupae still developing in the wood and at some point they'll hatch out. The BORACARE you sprayed won't affect them since they're not eating anything. So this means that when they hatch out of their cocoons, they'll drill out of the wood to the open air as they emerge so to will a fine powder (hence their name "powderpost beetles"). So in summary, what you're seeing is to be expected; only after all the pupae hatch will the cycle run it's course and be done.

The good news is your treatment will at some point (if not already) affect any larvae present that might be feeding. As you know, the Boracare penetrates through and through the wood and once the larvae eat some wood treated with Boracare they'll die. This is actually the key to breaking the cycle of this destructive beetle. You didn't mention how thick the wood is in your section "1)" but if it's 1/4" thick like the wood in section "2)", the Boracare would have penetrated through and through by now. If that's happened, no more chewing or damage is happening as any larvae present will be dead or just about to die. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done for the unhatched pupae other than waiting for them to "run out" and all of them to emerge.

Lastly, there is no way to determine if any wood has eggs. And even if you could tell there is no way to kill them all. Only after the egg hatches and the larvae attempt to feed on the treated wood will they die. When feeding on the lumber you sprayed they'll ingest the Boracare and quickly die off. I know this doesn't offer much in the way of preserving your finished wood that sounds close to ready to become a musical instrument. But I don't think there is anything you can do short of waiting. As I see it, a good idea would be to treat all the lumber you want to use and then store it for a decent amount of time to make sure there are no pupae waiting to come out. As our article explains, some beetles can lie feeding for many years. Should you wait this long before using the wood? I don't think so. But I do believe 6 months is a reasonable amount of time to wait and I know some people who will wait over a year before using any lumber they treat just to be sure. Even that's not a guarantee something will drill out but in most cases it's long enough. Hopefully this gives you some kind of  guage for how long you too should wait before final processing. I'm guessing that just one exit hole would ruin your piece so there is really no room for error in the work you do. If that's the case, waiting longer seems like it would be the smart approach.

For your benefit, here are direct links to the information and products listed above.

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

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

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

If you read through our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn that what's happening is pupae which are hatching out in the logs are now tunneling out as adults. The pupae are the third stage of this pest and it's this stage where they "morph" from larvae to adults. You can't kill them in this stage and until they all release, you should expect to see new holes. This will happen whether you treat or not.

Now if you do treat, any larvae still in the wood feeding would ingest the treatment and die. In the end this is what you need done to stop the cycle.

Unfortunately there is no way to tell just how extensive the infestation might be and how many larvae might still be active. Is it likely there are more in the wood? Probably. Is there a way to treat the wood to prevent further damage? Yes. The two product options would be BORACARE and JECTA GEL.

The Boracare can only be used if you strip the Polyurethane off the logs or if the wood has enough unfinished sides exposed to allow the Boracare to penetrate. And since you didn't mention how thick the wood is, I'm not able to judge if you definitely need access to all sides of the wood or if one side being treated would be enough. In general you shouldn't expect to get more than 4 inches of penetration from the treatment so if the logs are 8" or more thick, you really need full access to get good penetration with the Boracare.

Alternatively the Jecta Gel could be used. By drilling access holes in discreet locations, you could inject enough of the jel into the wood to get good penetration. This would save the time and effort needed to strip the wood of it's urethane and could be a viable option. In the end, the Jecta Gel would do just as good of a job and for cosmetic reasons is sometimes a good way to treat.

Here are direct links for the products and information mentioned above:

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

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

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

jonathan

www.bugspray.com