Little holes all over my osage staves...

[toomanyknots]

Well I went and got 3 big chunks of osage today (the staves I had posted about a week or so ago) that I had abandoned last summer because I had thought they had bug damage, and I didn't wanna chance it. Turns out after hackin away at it, that it was just a little pith I think in the center of a big old osage tree that a thought was damage!  God do I feel dumb. If I had just took the staves last summer, I could of probably got a good 5 or 6 or more staves out of the 3 pieces. Man I hate myself sometimes. One piece is perfectly relfexed at both ends, and perfectly aligned. Anyway, there are little holes all riddled all over the backs of them after I took the bark off. Bunches of em. I figured I could just get up under the sapwood till the holes are gone, and chase a ring later. I'm kinda scared to take em inside though, thinkin ill get bugs in my staves inside. I can't find ANY actual bugs, which scares me more, thinkin they may be too small for me to see! The holes are small, like a 1/16" or a bit bigger, but smaller than an 1/8". I'm scared yall. I got em sitting on my back porch next to all my fire wood. The wood is so pretty. Only one knot on the whole thing, and the knot is on the outside of the stave. What kinda bug do you guys think it is? Should I keep it far away from my house? Is there probably eggs all over the wood?  :embarassed: :embarassed: :embarassed:

[beetlebailey1977]

Sounds like powder post beetles.....if I am correct.

[toomanyknots]

After googling em, it sure does sound about right...

[osage outlaw]

That is what was all over that old tree I harvested.  I sprayed it heavily with insect killer and the next morning there were little tiny black beatles laying dead all around it.  They only went 2 or 3 rings deep at the most.

[toomanyknots]

Those little holes are supposed to be exit holes, right? So, does that mean they have "exited"?  I guess tomorrow I will go buy a plainer and work the wood smooth until I can tell there are no holes, and then seal it up real good... So they only like the sapwood really? I mean, I have seen the little worm larvae bugs on it after I ripped the bark off, is that what they look like?

[osage outlaw]

There were holes in mine and the beetles were still inside.  They were tiny little things.  Soaking it in bug killer brought them out. 

Here is a picture of what I found.  Do the holes seem about the same size?  The little black specks in between the two staves are the dead beetles.

[toomanyknots]

The ones on mine might be a bit smaller, but other than that, they are exactly the same. I feel so stupid for not just taking em home last summer. Oh well... Thanx outlaw. I guess I could use a block plane to smooth out everything on the stave to check for holes, spray em down with insecticide, and then seal am good. Or most of that, in some order close to that.

[toomanyknots]

It seems like they only like the sapwood. Did you have alot go into the heartwood osage? I am on the fence about keepin the wood or going and dumping it tomorrow, I'm leaning on dumping it...

[Stiks-N-Strings]

I would chase them down to a good ring and seal them. Might spray them first. Don't give up on'em yet

[osage outlaw]

They only went 2 or 3 rings deep in the worst area.  Just take a drawknife and rip all of the damaged areas off.  You already made the effort to haul them out, you might as well try one or two and see how they turn out.

[Eric Krewson]

It is not uncommon for powder post beetles to go in the top of a log and come out the bottom. I had permission to cut up some dozed osage that had been on the ground for a few years, it all had powder post damage all the way through the trunks.

Brought a powder post beetle infested trunk into my basement once. The beetles left the osage and invaded my floor joists, took $600 worth of exterminator treatments to get rid of them.

Had another billet piece that was infested, torched every hole I could find with a propane torch, no more beetles. You can see the billet in the middle of the picture.

If you see any sawdust under your stave they are still active and need killing.

[toomanyknots]

Do they usually only eat the sapwood on osage? I am definitely on the edge of the fence here, as the staves were already split out so the bugs had access to the whole stave, and what I am worried about is some little crack on the side where one got in, or layed eggs, seeing as I am forced to keep all the wood in the same place just because I don't have room. So I would not be satisfied unless I got the whole stave smoothed out so there where no cracks or nothing, which don't seem too fun as there are cracks everywhere in the bellys of these pieces, so I don't know how much wood would be left anyway after I cleaned em up as much as possible. After what you just said Eric, I am definitely leaning on taking em back... Do no holes guarantee no bugs?

[jturkey]

send one my way i'll check it out for you! but i might use it so hmmm send it anyways lol

[toomanyknots]

I got rid of em, didn't wanna deal with all the little bugs,...

[Eric Krewson]

They don't go in cracks in the sides of staves, only through holes they bore through the bark and sapwood. The don't appear to lay eggs in the wood, just munch their way through it, they don't stop at the sapwood.

If you strip the backs of your split down below any beetle holes you will have eliminated the problem, no need to discard your wood.