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

We brought the tree in over the weekend and it will only be up for eleven more days.  Do we need to worry about the beetles in the house?  Is there anything we can do to kill them?

If in fact you are seeing sawdust like what you'd see if you were using a wood saw to cut the tree, it's more likely the tree has CARPENTER ANTS or CARPENTER BEES. If you read our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn they create a fine "talc like" powder and not sawdust like you described. Another good indicator will be the holes from which the sawdust is coming. First, do you even see holes in the tree? PINE BORERS live and bore between the bark and inner tree trunk. They create sawdust when feeding and if you don't see any holes or damaged wood leading directly to the middle of the tree, I would then lean toward a boring pest of some kind.  Carpenter Ants and Carpenter Bees will be easy to spot and in fact will most likely still be "outward active" compared to something like Pine Borers which will try to hide and typically stay latent or hidden most of the time.

Regarding the pest and the possibility that it might spread to the inside of your home; without knowing the exact insect involved it's hard for me to say with any certainty. However, I do know the products you've applied will not handle this type of problem no matter what it turns out to be and if you intend on saving the tree for any length of time, you'll most definitely need to do some more treating with one of our products. My instinct tells me BORACARE would be the one product that could cover it all but again, without knowing for sure what you have even that guess wouldn't be 100% guarantee to cover what's active. For now I recommend you give our office a call and ask for Mike or Chad. Use our toll free 1-800-877-7290 number and after asking a few questions, I'm sure they'll have a better understanding of just what's going on and at that point will be able to make an educated suggestion on how to best treat.

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

Carpenter Ants:  http://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Carpenter Bees:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

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

Pine Borer Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/pinebark.html

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

First, I'm a little confused by the name "pecky cypress". I'm not aware of this being a species of tree but I have heard of a fungus that can occur on cypress trees that uses this name. You can see more on this at the following Wiki page; the reference of it appears in the third paragraph of the "Ecology" section of this web page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxodium_distichum

Regardless of the correct wood name, I'm still unclear if the wood in question is part of a log home made of cypress or if you have a wall or two inside a traditional home that is covered with the cypress. This could factor in to what should be done so we'll need to know at some point.

Third, there are many insects that can infest wood and the ones that damage or eat it will generate a wide range of "waste". This waste can be in the form of pellets, powder or sawdust. Insects like CARPENTER ANTS and CARPENTER BEES don't eat wood. They only bore through it and during the process will generate a true sawdust much like you'd get from using a saw on wood as you cut through it. DRYWOOD TERMITES will live inside wood eating what they need to survive and in the process they will push out tiny fecal "pellets". POWDERPOST BEETLES will create a type of fine to coarse powder (depending on the species) and this powder will be very similar in composition to talc powder. Of these options, it sounds like you are seeing something that most resembles talc powder so the possibility of powderpost beetles being active or having been active in the past is what I would guess at this time.

However, I can't say for sure if you have a "current" problem or not. I have seen many kinds of ornamental and structural wood used in construction that appears sound for 10-20 years or more and then one day someone notices disintegration like you've described. In some cases I've seen new insect activity causing this disintegration and so a treatment was warranted. In other situations I've seen where it's just old damage that had remained compact and secure for many years but has finally given away and is merely "falling out" of the holes created a long time ago from an insect population which is no longer active. Depending on whether this cypress is part of a log home or just ornamental would factor in to whether or not you should act immediately. Additionally, as explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, you can't apply the BORACARE over wood which has a good stain finish. Such a covering will most likely be protecting the wood from water being absorbed which would effectively hinder the treatment and for now prevent anything from being done even if you wanted to do something. The stain can be removed or if it's old and worn, it may not play be a factor at all.

In summary, since there are clearly some questions we'd have to ask in order to help diagnose just what is happening, I suggest you give us a call toll free at 1-800-877-7290 and ask for Chad or Mike. They can then get some more information and offer up some advice on what you should do.

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

Carpenter Ant Control:  http://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Carpenter Bee Control:  http://www.carpenterbees.com/carpenter-bee-control

Termite Control:  http://www.termites-swarming.com/termite-control

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

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

Good questions J. since rough cut wood will many times conceal all kinds of insects. Bark beetles are usually easy to see but other pests like CARPENTER BEES, CARPENTER ANTS, POWDERPOST BEETLES, BARK BEETLES and even TERMITES can be present. Pine isn't normally home to Powderpost beetles but there are some other small beetle species which like it so the list of potential problem pests is quite long for White Pine to say the least.  Regardless, it's easy to miss some activity any one tree may have since so many pests could be attracted to it. For this reason it makes sense to do some preventive treatment prior to the installation. This is especially true when the wood is to be kept large in size and diameter. Many pests will burrow deep into the timber, far beyond where Bark Beetles live, and are difficult to see or identify. Wood which is to be kept larger than 2×4's can easily conceal significant insect activity.

The good news is that products like BORACARE make safeguarding and protecting large wood possible. And by treating logs ahead of time, one can avoid a lot of hassle before the problem spreads. This unique product works so well because it penetrates wood getting deep down to the heart of the log where chewing and eating larva can do real damage. As explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, it's not uncommon for different species of insects to live deep in the wood waiting to emerge when conditions get right. This might not be for years after the installation but during this time they could be doing all kinds of damage and destruction.

To avoid this happening, treat all rough cut lumber with BORACARE. It's easy to use as our video demonstrates but more importantly, once applied insects and destructive wood fungi won't stand a chance. Since this lumber is to be used inside, I'm sure one treatment will last at least 5-10 years. This will both safeguard it from future problems and be sure to knock out anything active at the time of the treatment. Once allowed to dry 48-72 hours, all treated lumber can be further processed and installed. True it takes longer to completely cure but you can handle and process the wood earlier if need be. Otherwise letting it sit for several weeks would be find too. The point is getting it installed insect free and well treated would be smart. We deal with so many cases where it's too late and the homeowner is confronted with some horrific options due to complex construction, the size of the lumber, etc. The bottom line is an ounce of prevention can go a long way here for sure.

Give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 for further details or to answer any of your questions but the videos we have posted combined with the detailed directions should be enough to get you treating without delay. Since you intend on "air drying" the finished wood, this fits in perfect with what one would do when using this product anyway.

In this day and age, it's smart to take a close look at recurring contracts and service agreements. I believe the best way to view these costs is to compare them to other forms of "insurance". For some people, they can't get enough insurance. It buys them peace of mind and with it a comfort making the cost worth the price. But still the question must be asked: do I really need this extra protection?

When it comes to pest control contracts, the decision making process can get extra cloudy and mired with uncertainty. Just what is the relative risk for any one pest? Wood destroying insects like termites, carpenter ants and powderpost beetles are all capable of doing damage in most any home. This damage can many times go unnoticed enabling it to accumulate in size. For this reason many service companies offer long term contracts. These contracts offer a way to avoid costly repairs should a problem reappear. In theory they should also help to catch problems sooner rather than later since you will have a "fresh" set of eyes inspecting the property from year to year if you keep the contract current. If the inspection is being done by a knowledgeable expert, they can many times identify structural issues which can be fixed before they lead to further problems. Since a good home inspection can cost several hundred dollars, it would seem as though the $150.00 annual renewal you listed above is well worth the cost.

So in summary, a good starting point to this decision can stem from the annual inspection itself. If you feel you are getting a good look over and are comfortable with the "protection" your contract provides, it may be worth keeping it current. This would certainly be true if you plan on selling the house in the coming months or if there is a "history" of powderpost beetle problems in the home. But as explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE ARTICLE, most treatments will last several years and over this time knock out existing populations making it less likely to have another problem surface. And if the home has been pest free for 5 years or more and you don't plan on selling it for 3 or more years, clearly the "present value" of the contract will be notably less and maybe not worth the $150.00. Like other forms of insurance, many of us will usually fall on one side of the coverage: either we'll take full advantage of it getting more than our money's worth or we'll pay the premium year after year and never have one bad thing happen. The trick is knowing which policies to keep current and which to let expire without cause for alarm. If you ever figure out how to make this judgement, please let me know! But for now, my advise is to go with your instincts. Think it over and weigh both options carefully. And if you have further questions or concerns, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 for some technical assistance.