Furniture Making

You are not logged in. [ Login ] Why log in
(NOTE: Login is not required to post)

Mesquite insects and treatment

9/27/15       
Denis Condon Member

This is my first Mesqute project and I have found pinholes with fine sawdust deposits on some of the lumber.
I took the following action:
1. Cut out the affected areas.
2. Placed shorter board in freezer for three weeks.
The result looks good as I have not seen any sawdust for the last two weeks.
Question:
If I treat mesquite with an insect treatment will it ruin my finish? I plan to sand to at least 220 grit and have multiple tung oil coats.
Thanks for your help in advance.

9/28/15       #2: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Pete Anderson

Website: http://www.petesfloors.wordpress.com

Check out BORA-CARE concentrated
treatment for wood pests and fungus

9/28/15       #3: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Denis Condon Member

Thanks Pete. I looked up BOROCARE and think it would kill the insects but my real concern is how it would effect the finish.
BORACARE "Dries clear, doesn’t affect future painting or staining of wood surfaces"
It seems to me that the BORACARE will be absorbed into the wood at an uneven rate and will prevent the tung oil from penetrating the mesquite at an even rate.
Anyone have experience with this situation?
Thanks
Denis

9/28/15       #4: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Pete Anderson

You will need to wait for the water-based treatment to dry before oiling.

9/30/15       #5: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Frozen

Around here I leave pieces in the freezer for 6 months to a year - we have tough, winterized insects.

9/30/15       #6: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Gene Wengert-WoodDoc

It is likely that these are the lyctid powder post beetles. They can live in the wood for two years , eating tunnels, but no external evidence. Freezing does not kill them. They tend to hatch when them warm up.

There is more...search the site here.

11/9/15       #7: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Wesley Jones  Member

Website: http://www.cuttingedgewoodworksonline.com

What you have are indeed powder post beetles. They will only eat at the sapwood of mesquite. If you can, I suggest cutting all the sapwood off of the boards. If you can't get rid of the sapwood and they are small enough, you can put them in the oven on it's lowest temperature setting long enough to heat the wood to about 180 for an hour or so.

My experience has been that even if you leave the sapwood on, they can still find it years later and will start eating it off again ruining whatever you have already built. Hope this helps.

12/1/15       #8: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
MarkSindone  Member

Website: http://supercheapselfstorage.com.au/facilities/syd...

Goodness, I had no idea that it would be so complicated to get rid of an insect or pest problem from my wood. I mean, I would sooner take out some insect spray from my cupboard and douse the wood. But obviously I need a better storage solution and chemical treatment in order to make sure that the piece of material I've got is still okay to work with!

12/1/15       #9: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Denis Condon

Hi All,
thanks for the responses. I went ahead and cut out any portions that I could identify, built the object and finished it with Tung oil. Everything looks good but if these creatures can bounce back after two years I am not sure how successful I have been. I will check in with my customer on an annual basis to see if there is any activity. I am also interested to see how the color of the mesquite wood treated with pure Tung oil will change. It looks great now. I will try another mesquite project in the future.

11/27/16       #10: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Allan Member

We use a lot of mesquite, well north of 1000 bd ft/yr and have had powder post beetle problems before. We solved the problem by instructing the sawmill to spray heavily with Boracare after milling before the mesquite goes in the kiln. Occasionally we spray again after drying.
I suspect you used air dried mesquite, which is asking for trouble unless you spray heavily before machining.
Freezing is definitely useless; we are in Minnesota and received mesquite that was mistakenly shipped green to us in the middle of winter. We didn't see the beetles until they came out in spring; an expensive mistake the mill paid for.

11/27/16       #11: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Joe Calhoon

I use a little mesquite that is kiln dried. Is this a concern with KD material?

11/27/16       #12: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Allan Member

To answer the question about whether kiln dried mesquite is susceptible to powder post beetles:

Theoretically, kiln drying will kill powder post beetles. That said, mesquite sapwood is a gourmet item for the little buggers. If you store your lumber where insects can get at it, there is always a chance that the beetles can reinfect the wood.
Spraying with Boracare should prevent reinfection. After the Boracare has soaked in (see directions on package), you can go ahead and finish the project. Boracare is mildly toxic, so I wouldn't use it on a cutting board, but for a finished table top this shouldn't be a problem.

11/28/16       #13: Mesquite insects and treatment ...
Gene Wengert-Wood Doc

Remember that Boracare is a water solution, so when you get penetration of the borate chemical, you also get penetration of the water, so you need to remove this excess water prior to using the treated wood. If you sell the wood as "treated" wood, you also need to be licensed in most states. Further, when planing the wood, this can remove most of the protection. The proper, safe disposal of the treated wood planer shavings can be an issue. Also, do you want to use borate wood for children's toys or furniture (like a crib) that might be chewed on sometimes, or for food handling uses like a cutting board or bowl, etc.? Will borates interfere with finishing.

Bottom line is that immediately after kiln drying, it might be better to have storage that does not have the lyctid powderpost beetle opportunities...the only PPB that gets in KD wood is the lyctus PPB...meaning the storage facility is closed, does not have non-KD wood or wood dried at under 150 F or wood dried by someone else, and has no wood debris including sawdust.


Post a Response
  • Notify me of responses to this thread
  • Subscribe to email updates on this Forum
  • To receive email notification of additions to this forum thread,
    enter your name and email address, and then click the
    "Keep Me Posted" button below.

    Please Note: If you have posted a message or response,
    do not submit this request ... you are already signed up
    to receive notification!

    Your Name:
    E-Mail Address:
    Enter the correct numbers into the field below:
     

    Date of your Birth:



    Return to top of page

    Buy & Sell Exchanges | Forums | Galleries | Site Map

    FORUM GUIDELINES: Please review the guidelines below before posting at WOODWEB's Interactive Message Boards (return to top)

  • WOODWEB is a professional industrial woodworking site. Hobbyist and homeowner woodworking questions are inappropriate.
  • Messages should be kept reasonably short and on topic, relating to the focus of the forum. Responses should relate to the original question.
  • A valid email return address must be included with each message.
  • Advertising is inappropriate. The only exceptions are the Classified Ads Exchange, Machinery Exchange, Lumber Exchange, and Job Opportunities and Services Exchange. When posting listings in these areas, review the posting instructions carefully.
  • Subject lines may be edited for length and clarity.
  • "Cross posting" is not permitted. Choose the best forum for your question, and post your question at one forum only.
  • Messages requesting private responses will be removed - Forums are designed to provide information and assistance for all of our visitors. Private response requests are appropriate at WOODWEB's Exchanges and Job Opportunities and Services.
  • Messages that accuse businesses or individuals of alleged negative actions or behavior are inappropriate since WOODWEB is unable to verify or substantiate the claims.
  • Posts with the intent of soliciting answers to surveys are not appropriate. Contact WOODWEB for more information on initiating a survey.
  • Excessive forum participation by an individual upsets the balance of a healthy forum atmosphere. Individuals who excessively post responses containing marginal content will be considered repeat forum abusers.
  • Responses that initiate or support inappropriate and off-topic discussion of general politics detract from the professional woodworking focus of WOODWEB, and will be removed.
  • Participants are encouraged to use their real name when posting. Intentionally using another persons name is prohibited, and posts of this nature will be removed at WOODWEB's discretion.
  • Comments, questions, or criticisms regarding Forum policies should be directed to WOODWEB's Systems Administrator
    (return to top).

    Carefully review your message before clicking on the "Send Message" button - you will not be able to revise the message once it has been sent.

    You will be notified of responses to the message(s) you posted via email. Be sure to enter your email address correctly.

    WOODWEB's forums are a highly regarded resource for professional woodworkers. Messages and responses that are crafted in a professional and civil manner strengthen this resource. Messages that do not reflect a professional tone reduce the value of our forums.

    Messages are inappropriate when their content: is deemed libelous in nature or is based on rumor, fails to meet basic standards of decorum, contains blatant advertising or inappropriate emphasis on self promotion (return to top).

    Libel:   Posts which defame an individual or organization, or employ a tone which can be viewed as malicious in nature. Words, pictures, or cartoons which expose a person or organization to public hatred, shame, disgrace, or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person or organization, are libelous.

    Improper Decorum:   Posts which are profane, inciting, disrespectful or uncivil in tone, or maliciously worded. This also includes the venting of unsubstantiated opinions. Such messages do little to illuminate a given topic, and often have the opposite effect. Constructive criticism is acceptable (return to top).

    Advertising:   The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not an advertising venue. Companies participating in a Forum discussion should provide specific answers to posted questions. WOODWEB suggests that businesses include an appropriately crafted signature in order to identify their company. A well meaning post that seems to be on-topic but contains a product reference may do your business more harm than good in the Forum environment. Forum users may perceive your references to specific products as unsolicited advertising (spam) and consciously avoid your web site or services. A well-crafted signature is an appropriate way to advertise your services that will not offend potential customers. Signatures should be limited to 4-6 lines, and may contain information that identifies the type of business you're in, your URL and email address (return to top).

    Repeated Forum Abuse: Forum participants who repeatedly fail to follow WOODWEB's Forum Guidelines may encounter difficulty when attempting to post messages.

    There are often situations when the original message asks for opinions: "What is the best widget for my type of shop?". To a certain extent, the person posting the message is responsible for including specific questions within the message. An open ended question (like the one above) invites responses that may read as sales pitches. WOODWEB suggests that companies responding to such a question provide detailed and substantive replies rather than responses that read as a one-sided product promotion. It has been WOODWEB's experience that substantive responses are held in higher regard by our readers (return to top).

    The staff of WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at WOODWEB's Message Boards. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB's Message Boards after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages it deems inappropriate. (return to top)


  • Forum Posting Help
    Your Name The name you enter in this field will be the name that appears with your post or response (return to form).
    Your Website Personal or business website links must point to the author's website. Inappropriate links will be removed without notice, and at WOODWEB's sole discretion. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    E-Mail Address Your e-mail address will not be publicly viewable. Forum participants will be able to contact you using a contact link (included with your post) that is substituted for your actual address. You must include a valid email address in this field. (return to form)
    Subject Subject may be edited for length and clarity. Subject lines should provide an indication of the content of your post. (return to form)
    Thread Related Link and Image Guidelines Thread Related Links posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should point to locations that provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related Link that directs visitors to an area with inappropriate content will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    Thread Related File Uploads Thread Related Files posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. Video Files: acceptable video formats are: .MOV .AVI .WMV .MPEG .MPG .MP4 (Image Upload Tips)   If you encounter any difficulty when uploading video files, E-mail WOODWEB for assistance. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related File that contains inappropriate content will be removed, and uploaded files that are not directly related to the message thread will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links, files, or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)