Round headed borers commonly infest live trees and in most cases will die off when the tree dies. But this could take some time and if these are actually some other species, it is entirely possible they'll migrate to other wood in the home. You didn't mention if the piece is finished or not and this factors into the decision on whether to save it or trash it.

If the pieces have unfinished sections, treating with BORACARE as explained in our WOOD BEETLE CONTROL article will take care of the current infestation and protect the wood from future problems. Boracare needs to be applied to unfinished wood in order to penetrate through and through so if the pieces are completely finished, you'll have to decide whether removing the finish to treat and save the piece is worth the time and effort. If not, you may want to discard infested pieces and start anew.

As for any live trees with activity; there are a couple of treatment options that will both control current round headed borers and help prevent the infestation from spreading to other trees. For trees currently showing activity (holes, chambers, sawdust, etc.), inject galleries and holes with PT-CYKICK AEROSOL. Following this you should spray the limbs and trunk with CYPERMETHRIN. The aerosol will kill live beetles and the Cypermethrin will both kill any it contacts as well as provide a month or two of residual so that new borers won't be able to migrate onto any tree sprayed.

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

PT-Cykick: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/pt-cykick-17-5-oz

Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

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

We would like to know how to treat them and if they will travel to our wood floors and what to do to keep the infestation from spreading. Thank you for your help.

I suggest you review the FURNITURE TREATMENT section of our on line article that goes over wood treatments for pests like powderpost beetles, termites and wood worms. As you'll learn, if the wood has some unfinished sides to it, you'll be able to treat with BORACARE. When applied to unfinished (raw) wood, Boracare will absorb quickly and basically disappear. But once inside the wood, it will travel and permeate throughout the treated sections. And once uniformly absorbed, the Boracare will make the wood unedible to the wood worms. Eggs that hatch larvae ready to feed will meet a quick death once they start munching on the Boracare treated wood. This will eliminate the infestation as quickly as the eggs hatch. Eventually all will eggs will hatch and all the larvae will die thus breaking the cycle.

Now if it turns out that you don't have any unfinished sides of the tv console, you'll need to drill small access holes into which JECTA GEL can be applied. Jecta Gel is essentially the same type of material as the Boracare but basically designed in a gel form so that it can be applied for times when broadcasting a liquid spray isn't possible.

In either case, once treated the wood will slowly absorb and distribute the treatment throughout all the grain and cells of the cellulose so that any beetles or larva in the wood will eat it and die.This type of treatment is very safe for non target animals like people and pets yet highly effective on anything that's inside the piece.

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

Jecta Gel:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/gel/jecta-gel-10-oz

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

If you read our POWDERPOST BEETLE ARTICLE, you'll learn the best product for the job will be BORACARE. It sounds like you have plenty of unfinished wood that's readily accessible so it should be fairly easy to do. Simply "paint" the application on so you don't make a mess. And remember "less is more". What I mean by this is that by applying small amounts over the same area several times, you'll get more into the wood.

When treating an open, raw piece of lumber like what you might have on a deck, one can spray aggressively without care or concern. But because there is no doubt intricate workings inside the upright piano, you cannot use such a technique so painting it on would be the way to go. In the end you'll get the same results; it will just take a little more time to do the job.

Lastly, make sure you understand the sawdust you're finding is the "exit" holes where they're leaving the upright piano and not signs of new ones attacking. This is a common misperception and it's important to understand the difference. This is covered in our article.

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

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

Please help!

If you read our article on POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL, you'll learn that freezing and heat treatments won't kill eggs so it's not an effective way to control active infestations of powderpost beetles. The only options you have would be to fumigate, inject the wood with JECTA GEL, dip the wood in BORACARE or do your own "fumigation" using some INSECT STRIPS. Here's a breakdown on what to expect regarding these treatment these options.

1. Fumigation via a pest service would be very costly (thousands of dollars) so I'm guessing this is not a viable option.
2. Jecta Gel injected to any exit holes or other "port" in exposed wood could do the job if you have enough holes to put the gel into.
3. Boracare "dip" would be the best way to go. No doubt the pieces would absorb enough product making them unlivable for the larvae.
4. Lastly, making your own "fumigation" tent is an option. To do this you'd place an insect strip in a thick plastic bag and seal it nice a tight. The air inside would be unusable by any insect and they'd die once hatched from their egg stage. The only limit to this treatment is that it would take months to complete because without knowing the species of beetle active, there is no telling how long it takes for eggs to gestate and hatch. To be safe, you'd need to wait at least 6 months. Most species hatch in 3 months or less but there are some that go for 3-9 months and some a year or longer (though these species are rare).

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

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

Jecta Gel:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/gel/jecta-gel-10-oz

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

Insect Strips:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/repellents/fumigant/hotshot-no-pest-strip

Whitepine is no doubt susceptible to all kinds of beetles. What you're describing sounds like BARK BEETLES which usually don't cause dramatic damage. But like most wood boring beetles, they can be a problem that will spread of left unattended.

Considering what you'd like to do with the whitepine, I would recommend treating with BORACARE. It can penetrate up to 4 inches so if you have access to all sides of the whitepine limbs, a good treatment will no doubt soak through and through and will get any beetles that might be nesting in the wood.

So to answer your questions; yes, you can most definitely treat with Boracare. One treatment should be enough. And afterward, you can finish the wood in any fashion you'd like. Stain, varnish, paint, etc. The Boracare won't have any impact.

Once treated, the wood should be allowed to cure for a few weeks and if you find no new activity for a few months following the treatment, you should be fine. Of course it could take longer for certain species of pupae to hatch out and make their presence known but if you inspect the wood every month or two for a year and don't see anything, that would mean the problem was most likely fully resolved.

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

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

Bark Beetles:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/pinebark.html

I've been in many homes that are over 100 years old and in virtually every case I remember finding evidence of some type of wood infesting pest so is this need to be concerned or surprised? Probably not. I say this because if you think about it, there are two things you should immediately notice about this house. First, the structure is several hundred years old and it's still standing. This means it must have been built fairly well. Second, because it's this old, the odds that termites, powderpost beetles, carpenter ants, carpenter bees or some other pest got into some part of the home would have to be quite high (in other words, very likely). But what about your structural concerns?

No doubt these are legit and well founded. And as you've been advised, get an engineer to look at the home to see what he says. In the end I'm willing to wager that one of  two things that will happen with this structure. The first thing that might happen is if the damage is in fact significant, most any engineer would recommend getting it repaired. This could mean major replacement work but many times simply leaving the existing damaged wood in place and then adding load bearing members to the pre installed beams is all that will be needed. This is actually pretty common and happens all the time with old structures. In the end someone buys the home, gets the work done and lives happily ever after without the house falling down.

In the second option,  someone will buy the home with no repair being done. And even though the home is some 300 years old and has some damage, I'm willing to bet it will be around long after the buyer moves in and leaves planet earth! This is just based on previous experience so I can't be 100% sure. But whenever I'm in these old buildings, it becomes apparently clear they've settled, they've sustained damage over the years and no doubt they're in need of some repair work. All that being said, it's also clear if it's on the market and a bank is willing to write a note on it, the structure will probably be around for some time to come.

Lastly, no wood or structure is ever "beyond BORACARE" unless the owner or new owner intends on knocking it down and starting over. And with this home, the same would apply. So in this case, I see two option regarding a treatment.

The first option would be to leave it as is, based on an engineers inspection and clean bill of health and then after it's purchased, get it treated with Boracare just to be safe. The second option is to do some repair work first and during the work have it treated with Boracare. In both options treating with Boracare is what I recommend because it just make sense. Why risk letting any beetle or other pest a chance to continue living if in fact they're alive somewhere? Well, it doesn't. So if you buy the home, get it treated and be done with it. Remember, Boracare will not only control active pests, but it will help to prevent new ones from coming around as well as control mold and rot.

Good luck and here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

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

If you review our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn about a product called BORACARE. If possible, this is what you want to use. Boracare will penetrate unfinished wood through and through. Once inside the wood, any kind of insect that attempts to eat the wood will die. To treat this problem, this is what we suggest but in order for this option to work, the wood must be unfinished and able to accept the treatment.

Since you didn't mention if there are large areas of the cabinet which are unfinished (usually the back, bottom and/or inside surfaces will be enough of an area), it's not clear to me if Boracare will be usable. If not, you can go with the JECTA GEL. Designed for smaller jobs and where the use of Boracare isn't possible, Jecta Gel can be injected to small "access" holes you'll make including the exit the holes the woodworms are making. If enough holes are injected with the gel, it too will spread throughout the piece with the net effect being a treatment that will stop everything attempting to eat it.

One other product worth mentioning is DFORCE AEROSOL. This comes with a small "straw" like injector which can be used to inject small blasts of product. No doubt this treatment will kill anything it contacts. But it won't penetrate the wood like the Jecta Gel or Boracare nor will it last long. Dforce is usually only good for a few weeks so if you're not able to get uniform coverage, the problem will persist. Compared to the other two options, Dforce would be what we call "remedial" and many times only effective when very small areas or pieces are wood are being targeted. Once you get into wood 1/2" thick or more, the other two materials will usually be required to knock out the problem once and for all.

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

Jecta Gel:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/gel/jecta-gel-10-oz

Dforce Aerosol:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/aerosol/d-force-14-oz-aerosol

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

Furniture Treatments for Woodworms:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control#furniture

I have a good amount of lumber, mostly cherry and walnut, that is infested with powder post beetles. I'm looking into treatment both professional and DIY methods. I am familiar with Boracare and Timbor, but have heard through the grape vine about funimagtion?? Is this a real possibility and does it work? Please email or call me with info, advice or any additional information or suggestions! Thank you.

Fumigation is definitely an option. It's highly effective, fast to get done and for many situations the best way to go. However, it's very expensive. I'm sure if you call around to local service companies that do fumigation, you'll quickly find out that this kind of treatment routinely costs thousands. To tent a house is usually $10,000 and up. For small "container jobs", it can still cost several thousand dollars. If the lumber is loose quantities of wood we're talking about here, you'd probably have them done via a container fumigation. This is where the wood is moved into a semi type holding container where the process can be done safely. The container essentially keeps the material inside so there is no "tenting" needed.

Additionally, the fumigation treatment itself does not provide any residual. That means immediately after you remove the wood and bring it back to storage, it will be subject to reinfestation. For this reason alone many people will forego fumigating and instead choose a long lasting product like BORACARE and TIMBOR.

So since Boracare and Timbor can last several years, which do you use? There are two main things to consider regarding their differences. As explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, Timbor doesn't penetrate wood so it should not be used to control any current or active infestation. That means if in fact you have live powder post beetles, you'll need to use the Boracare.

Another advantage Boracare has over Timbor is that it will penetrate up to 4 inches so you can treat logs that are 6-8 inches wide and still get positive results. And since the application can last several years, the wood will be protected for a long time after the treatment. Lastly, Boracare will absorb quickly and following the treatment, there is no clue anything was every used. On the other hand, Timbor will leave a white powdery residue that will be noticeable and unsightly. For fine hardwood like you mentioned I would not use Timbor.

Hope this helps and if you still have questioins, give us a call toll free. Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

Timbor:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/wettable-powder/timbor

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

I suggest you read through our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE so you can better understand this pest. In the article you'll learn what it means when you find the holes you're finding. You'll also learn about the various treatment options that can handle the problem. This information will help you to decide if you wish to tackle the problem yourself or have a service company do the work for you. As you'll see, it's not hard to do and since doing it yourself will insure you get enough product applied, this approach can many times be the best option.

In our article you'll learn this pest is "wood specific". This means it will tend to focus on the wood type where you see activity. So unless you're home has similar wood and the wood is untreated (not painted or stained), there is little risk of them moving from the cabinets to the home. However, paint and stain alone won't save the cabinets.

In order to save the cabinets which now show activity, you'll need to treat with either the BORACARE or JECTA GEL we have listed in our article. These products will penetrate the wood and get deep enough to kill all the larvae which are really the problem. You see, the exit holes are from where adults have emerged and though you can treat these voids, in most cases they'll be abandoned and not important. What is important is the rest of the wood because no doubt there are many more larvae still active inside the cabinet wood and it's these guys that actually chew and eat cellulose (not adults that emerge). So in the end, you need a product that will penetrate through and through the wood so as the larvae eat, they'll ingest some of the treatment and die. In the end, it's this that will break the cycle and end the infestation.

The good news is that you state the inside of your cabinets are untreated (unfinished wood). If that's true, it should be easy to coat the area with Boracare and get the cabinets protected. I recommend giving it at least 2-3 coats over one day to insure you get enough applied. Within a few days the product should penetrate through and through which will kill all the larvae and take care of the problem.

At some point in the future you could opt to paint or stain the wood but since doing so would make it near impossible for the Boracare to be used again, I'd recommend waiting a good 6-12 months to make sure you don't keep finding exit holes. Once the holes stop for at least a year, finishing off the wood can be considered an option. But to make sure you can still treat it should the problem remain active, leaving as much of it unfinished is the best thing to do for now.

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

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

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

Jecta Gel:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/gel/jecta-gel-10-oz

First, BORACARE goes on clear and once it soaks into the wood, essentially disappears. The wood will appear "wet" when you treat, just as if you washed it down with plain water, but once dry and the material is absorbed, it will go back to exactly as it once looked. Effectively there will be no trace or record the application was ever done.

Second, if you read our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn the holes you're seeing are exit holes. Pupae that are fully developed will exit infested lumber and in this process, they create the holes you see. So they are only "active" for a brief moment. Once the adult drills through the wood surface and makes the hole, it will fly away and the hole is rarely ever used again. So to answer your question; no doubt the holes you see were at one point active but not anymore.

So what should you do? Here's the easy answer. Monitor the area and see if any new holes appear. If they do, it will mean you have more pupae hatching and drilling out which means you have an active infestation. If you don't find any new holes, it means the holes you see are old and there is little chance new ones will appear. But as you'll learn in the article, it's the young of this beetle that does the damage and since there is no way to tell if you have any young still in the wood currently chewing away, some people will opt to get it treated so they can be done with the issue once and for all. Ultimately the choice is yours and should be made based on the level of comfort you have for the situation. It's kind of like insurance; it's hard to have too much. In this case, going through the work of removing the varnish and treating would no doubt be a major task. But once done, the wood would be protected and you'd no longer have to wait and worry about whether or not there is more damage being absorbed.

Alternatively you could wait it out and see if anything new emerges and if it does, use that as a sign there is activity that needs to be addressed before the wood sustains more damage. In the end it's your call and there is no "right or wrong" choice.

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

Boracare:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/boracare-gal

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