Ambrosia Maple
Beetles carry the fungus into semi-wet wood to create food for their offspring. December 11, 2007
Question
Before owning a mill, I thought that ambrosia beetle infested wood was somewhat of a rarity. It seems that every maple log I have found so far has been infested by the ambrosia beetle. Does the beetle continue to work in the log once the tree has been cut, or does the tree have to be alive? Has anyone experienced more activity after Anchorsealing the logs and letting them rest for a few weeks before cutting? I figure the more, the merrier, when it comes to this beautiful feature.
Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
The insect that carries in the ambrosia fungus on its feet into the wood (the fungus is food for the insect's offspring when they hatch) prefers wood that is not soaking wet, but that has begun to dry. It will not infect dry wood.
From contributor G:
Dr. Gene, I have a friend who refuses to ship ambrosia maple around the country because he is afraid that he might be contributing to some kind of epidemic like the emerald ash borer. I'm researching the beetles to try to convince him that it is a non-issue. Am I correct? Is there a particular beetle or group of beetles that we find in the soft maple here in East TN? There are sure a lot of ambrosia beetles out there. 3,000 species according to one source. This is a picture of a 20"x2" slab that we sawed last week.
Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?
Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?
KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base
KnowledgeBase: Forestry
KnowledgeBase: Forestry: Tree Pests and Diseases
KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing
KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Air Drying Lumber
Would you like to add information to this article? ...
Click Here
If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to review our Forum Guidelines.
Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.
When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.
Return to beginning of article.
|
