The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed *Bugs In My Wood Bed*

I kept wiping out my bed of my truck as i thought the blossoms off my white dogwood tree were blowing in the garage as it's that time of the year. Then I noticed that it was always in the same area. After taking a closer look I'm now thinking there are bugs in the wood burrowing holes. The bed in my truck is ash wood. What do you guys think???

Just found out I have Powderpost Beetles in my wood. My research says that Borate is needed to kill them. I know I should not be getting out due to the Covid-19 lock down but I can't let them eat my bed up. They are working fast. I can wipe away the dust and 10 minutes later it's back.

"Powderpost beetle infestations often die out of their own accord"
But I'm sure you don't want to wait that long.
Up here, hardware stores are considered essential services.
Not sure about where you are, though. Stay safe and KILL those beetles!

Try squirting some brake cleaner into the holes? of course, you might need to reapply your varnish.

I have can of DDT powder I can loan you, but sweep up the remainder and send it back to me.

I shot some wasp and hornet killer in the holes. I waited an hour and checked. No more dust. Maybe I just [censored] them off and once the shake that off they we back at work. We'll see how it is in the morning.

New definition for the word, bedbugs. Ha

We have ash borer beetles here.

Ed

I laughed at what Glenn said...... “New definition for the word, bedbugs. Ha”

Nice looking wood--Ash--I used Oak on both of mine--no bugs in the Bed--Bill

I just finished my bed in my '48 using wood that my wifes uncles had sawed up close to 70 years ago. It was rough-sawn lumber and stored in the barn loft along with piles of other woods.
The wood I chose to use was Cherry Sap Wood which the beetles absolutely adore munching on. After I had the wood all milled down I sprayed it down on both sides with "Bora-Cure" which is basically a solution of boron and glycol. Of course the wood was bare of any finish and the wood soaked it right up. I let the first coat dry and gave it one more application to make sure the wood got a good penetration. The glycol additive really assist the boron to penetrate deep into the wood and after spraying both sides and ends with the product I'm hoping it will work. After it dried I sanded the wood down with 220 grit sandpaper and began applying my Tung-oil finish. The worm holes produced a patina in the finished work that I really liked and being it was from the family farm even made it more special.

It does look like you have powder post beetles. They can be a problem with wood that has not been kiln dried. Borates work, but they will not soak into the wood with that finish you have applied to the surface. Given the situation you have, I would try to "fumigate" them in a sense of the word. Try spraying the impacted surface with some kerosene trying to get the liquid to seep into the galleries (holes). The petrochemical has a pretty lethal vapor that may kill them if they are deprived of oxygen. Apply in the shade and let sit for a while before wiping the surface clean. Monitor and reapply if necessary, but hopefully the beetles infested the wood while in storage and you can eliminate the problem with your "bed bugs".

Well....I sprayed the top and bottom of my bed with Wasp and Hornet spray and haven't seen any activity in days. Maybe that did the trick.

Glad it worked for you Zip!

I did that once to myself...

My wife and I were traveling in Thailand and were staying at a place near “the Bridge” on the River Kwai. I like WW2 history so I kind of steered us that way. 😉 Anyway, after traveling all day and into the night, when we arrived we were exhausted. Now, my wife has a lot higher standards than I do when it comes to hotels/hostels/campsites, etc, and when we got into our room I looked at the beds and said, “Nope.”

She, however, was way too tired she said to deal with it and proceeded to get into one of the little single beds. So, I removed all the bedding on my single bed, threw the pillows in the corner, and then unloaded a can of bug spray onto that bed before I lay down in it with my towel.

Well, I woke up with the worst hangover I’d ever had and I wasn’t even drinking! The DEET in that spray buggered me up. But I had 0 bed bug bites! My wife had over 70. It was pretty gross. My towel stayed right where it was! The sun coming up really showed us how bad it was. Ahhh, traveling stories about bugs. 😃

Olezippi That ash is hard to hold, best iv'e seen is sterilization in the wood kiln, had em in hickory killed with heat lamp !

They sell a variety of Borate powders on Amazon, no need to venture out.

Several years ago pine beetles infected trees in the area I grew up in and they had to be burned. Probably close to 3 foot in diameter and 50 foot tall. I just kept thinking of how many knot free bed boards they could have made.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/HVZ0smmD/Iowa-2013-002.jpg[/img]

When the market is right I reclaim pre civil war barns. We use the original 20 mule team Boraxo laundry detergent to kill the bugs. We spray a solution on the beams twice when they are dry and have never had a problem getting it into states like California where they core test it before it's allowed entry. It will also prevent future infestations. We used to use "Shell Guard" at $60 a gallon. It will also stop those big furry boring bumblebees from eating your deck and house.