Treatment for borers

[rodlonq]

Well one of my worst fears has come to haunt me..... I have borers in the shed. Well not really in the shed because it is all steel. I have seen some signs of dust gathering around the eucalyptus billet my 200# anvil sits on and, of all places, beside a piece of very weathered looking black gidgea fence post on the rack (this stuff is murder on bandsaw blades and abrasives so they have good teeth ). I don't have a great stack of timber to treat but what I have is precious to me. Can anyone please suggest a remedy for this situation. It doesn't need to be organic, but I am not a certified pest controller either so something commercially available (and effective) would be good. Thank you.

Cheers.... Rod

[longbow steve]

Kevin will have an answer for you but I believe coating the backs with" Borax" or a similar product would work as they tend to go for the sap wood. If you bark is left on I believe that makes it more attractive to the mother laying the eggs. A syringe to inject product into the holes may stop them progressing further. Steve

[RobHunter]

Hey Rod

Ex pest controller here -

I,m assuming that the sawdust is fine and flour like. If so, its Lyctid type of borer (powder post beetle) that attacks only sapwood in certain timber. Official treatment is
by pretreatment (under high pressure only). My tech manual states that Higher starch pored timbers are susceptible. THe hole you see are the exit holes, so are devoid of bugs, but adult beetles can hide in theses holes. Reinfestment is common and surface treatment is not seen as an effective total treatment. (ie will not have lasting protection). It is suggested that they prefer timber with moisture between approx 8-25%, so surface treatment AND reducing moisure content will help. Fumigation will kill all the live beetles and larvae, but would be expensive to have done.
Wrapping in black plastic and puttimg in the sun might kill off the eggs and Pupae. there life cycle is 3-18 months, but usually 6 - 12.

Chemical - http://www.bunnings.com.au/chemspray-ho ... r_p3013999
http://www.bunnings.com.au/-ant-termite ... -_p3015755
Both are the same active chemical . Your not going to be able to get much stronger retail. Id spray the timber and the storage area on a regular basis, I wouldnt inject the holes, they are filled with sawdust and will absorb the chemical. I can imagine slipping and injecting pesticide into the hands would not be good.

This is a summary if you have more questions just ask

Rgds

Rob

[longbowinfected]

Australian hardwoods have in the main very narrow sapwood regions.
If the holes are round and 1-2mm across with very flour or slippery talc like expelled bore dust known as frass they would either be:
- very small Cylindrical Augur beetles some times known as Wood Boring Bostrychids from the family Bostrychididae
OR
- Powder Post borers commonly called Lyctids the main species in native Australian hardwoods being Lyctus brunneus [Stephenseus]
Bostrychids attack moister sapwood around high to down to 20% moisture content so really attack standing trees and recently felled timber.
Bostrychids cannot reinfest. If timber is attacked by Bostrychids it is likely as it dries out that Powder post borers will do so as the timber dries out.
Powder post borers attack timbers around 18% moisture content
Powder post borers can reinfest and will do so for a number of generations, eating out all the sapwood

These two groups of closely related borers come from the same family. They only attack sapwood with a high 6% starch content. The pores need to be big enough to allow eggs to be laid in them by the females ovipositor. Hardwood timber cut and sold in NSW and Qld is covered under the relevant Timber Marketing acts of each state. You can only sell structural timbers if that timber only has less than 25% of cross section being sapwood and the other test is that sapwood cannot appear on three sides. With manufacture items no Lyctus susceptible sapwood is allowed.

If you cut the timber yourself you are not covered unless you sell it to someone else. Buildings have two years warranty from hand over.
If you bought timber milled from a supplier and it has more than 25% sapwood they should replace it.

I would get a tomahawk and pare the damaged sapwood back and remove it.
Injecting mixed deltamethrin emulsion or permethrin emulsion into bore holes using a syringe. Note that damage already exists and damaged parts with fail and/or separate from the durable heartwood section that does not need to be treated.

You cannot pressure/ vacuum treat heartwood of either softwood or hardwood.
The most ecologically sound material to preserve timber are boron based paint on products such as Boracol. These are a prophylactic envelope treatment that only penetrate for a few millimetres.

Always remove sapwood.
You can test for Lyctus susceptible sapwood by making an iodine solution without coming near any ferrous item and apply the solution to butt ends of timber. The iodine makes a black colour change if starch is present. Failing that check Bootle and use non Lyctus susceptible timber species

Send me a message for my phone if you need extra info

Kevin

[rodlonq]

Thanks Rob and Kevin,

Yes the expelled dust is very fine. I am now surprised to have seen it next to the old fencepost. Bootle indicates gidgea is not susceptible to Lyctids. I am 99% sure it is gidgea and has avery nice ringed effect when polished.

I know nothing of the origin of the stump my anvil is sitting on other than the tree lopper that gave it to me said it is some eucalyptus. If I trim the sap from the stump It will probably be too small (footprint) for its current job so I will hang onto it and put in an order for a bigger one that I can sap.

I am glad most of my timber is sawn stock and mostly sap free I hope. I probably won't use the sappy sections in bows anyway so if the attack continues.

I am also surprised that the moisture content is high enough to attract borers. I have never measured it because I don't have an instrument (that will change soon) but I have a feeling that the interior of my shed is like a drying kiln when the doors are shut. Much of the timber I have bought or been given has seriously checked after being stored in the shed for a while. I recently learned about sealing end grains to prevent this so hopefully I won't loose so much in the future.

Cheers.... Rod

[longbowinfected]

timber is not being attacked and eggs laid in your shed mostly. The eggs were laid in the standing/felled but green tree. technically the borer larvae will die as the timber dries. Little risk that bringing in infested timber will start infestation and damage in other timbers.

You can buy a quality metal cased two prong Tramex moisture meter from Geological & Technical sales stores. There is a store in Seven Hills in Sydney that does over the counter and I believe catalogue $ perhaps internet sales. Mine cost me $350 a few years ago.

If anyone knows of cheaper alternate similar or pad type metres for a lower price I would be very interested. These things are far too expensive for this modern day.

Kevin

[bigbob]

re the moisture metre Carbotec or Hare and Forbes had one listed a while back for under $100 but can't remember what type it was. i will dig out the catalogue, but somehow doubt it would be one you would like.

[longbowinfected]

Thanks Bob.

Anyone using meters must remember to check out a correction table published in Bootle. You correct for species as most meters are designed built and calibrated for Oregon or Douglas Fir or some local softwood. You also make adjustments for temperature and humidity. Remember to use the right scale.

Kevin

[longbowinfected]

I checked out Carba Tec. They sell a Merlin two prong for $80. Others for $180 odd plus $450 odd and almost $700

That is a pretty good range.

Never used that Brand but expect they would be reasonable on the basis that I have not seen or bought rubbish from Carba Tec.

Hare and Forbes list a two pin meter for $63.

Lots of choice between your two leads Bob. Not happy though that I had to troll through Big Boys Toys r us / Aladdin's Caves at a time when there is no cash.

Kevin

[bigbob]

Glad if I was of some help,mate. I need to get one myself when the Easter bunny starts laying golden eggs and gets dysentery at my place.

[longbowinfected]

aussietek.com.au sells a two pin for $49 and a digital for $69 with free postage. May not be the most accurate but price is right. At least closer to what they should be. I have searched for years looking for a cheapie made by or sold by an Aussie based company. The technology is not much different to stud detectors. The Irish company Tramex have been ripping people off for yonks.

$69 versus $759 is a big difference if the cheap unit works even if not as accurate. Closer to wet and windy bunny time, eh Bob?

Kevin

[rodlonq]

Thanks for all the info on meters Bob and Kevin. I found this beauty on flea bay, probably not worth $22 with free postage but cheap enough to take a gamble with.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-Pin-Digita ... 1021143109?

I bought a dual thermocouple thermometer from this mob a while ago for about the same price and it seems to work OK. Hard to tell if measurement of a gas flame temperature is accurate though unless it's calibrated against a known accurate instrument.

Cheers.... Rod

[the celt]

hey rod
try a little chlorpyryphos solution available at any mitre 10 20 mm /lt will kill any of these from termites to borers
regards
westie

[longbowinfected]

Bad advice.
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate nerve poison. It is related to Sarin gas and most of the nerve poisons used in gas warfare.

Retards the development of the brain in children and many other question marks, raised by the US EPA and outlawed in the US.
Not to be used in and around the house [printed on every label], pretty near every country in the world has not re registered [read as banned] the product [Australia was the last developed country to ban organochlorines]

You would be breaking the law using it for borers as it is not registered for that purpose.
Refrain from giving inexpert advice as that too is breaking the law, that advice has no scientific basis and is likely to adversely cause pesticide induced delayed effects.

Kevin
Licensed Pest Manager, 38 years experience
Cert IV Pest Management Technical
Cert V Smart train Chemical Handling
Cert IV Workplace Safety
Workplace Trainer and Assessor TAE
Diploma Forestry, Timber Pest Specialist