How to treat wood borer?

[MelanieKS]

I have an upcycled solid wood table (treated) and I have owned it for 9 months. I recently noticed circular/powdery deposit at the base of two of the table legs. They look like wood borers. I have not seen any wood borer though. I would like to ask if this is indeed the work of wood borers and which is the best product top treat it? Thanks!

[JacobZ]

Hi @Upside3318,

Thank you for your question about removing wood borers from furniture legs.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of a pesticide that can be used to treat wood borers that would be immediately safe around your cat.

As you've indicated that you've recently purchased the timber legs, it's certainly possible that there are currently borers in the timber, but there is no reason to suggest their original source is around your home. I'd suggest that you can treat them, to ensure there are no live borers in the timber, then wipe the timber down to remove any potentially harmful pesticide.

My suggestion is to treat the timber using David Grays Ant and Termite Spray in an area that your cat is kept away from. Leave the timber legs in isolation for a week for the pesticide to take effect. Once the week has passed, wipe the timber down with hot soapy water to remove any residual pesticide.

Ensure you follow all instructions on the packaging and wear the relevant personal protective equipment including a mask, eye protection, gloves and protective clothing.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Upside3318]

Hi @JacobZ thanks for your reply! 
A couple of clarifications - I haven’t bought the table, I just found it on the side of the road for hard rubbish and I am considering taking the legs home to use. When I said “borers in residence,” I wasn’t referring to -my- residence; I was concluding that there were most likely critters residing in the table legs! 

If I leave the pesticide-sprayed legs in a quarantined area, and wipe down afterwards (maybe leave them in the sun for a day or two after that as well for good measure, if it happens to be sunny? Idk!)

…will it then be safe to turn them into a climbing/scratching tree for cats? 

(One of the cats in question, for the cat tax.)

[JacobZ]

Hi @Upside3318,

Thank you for the follow-up and for sharing the photo of your furry friend.

I mentioned that there are no borers around your home thinking that if there are holes in the timber, but there aren't any borers in the timber, the source of the borers is going to be a long way away, so they will not come back. 

If you were to collect the timber legs and inspect them over time and find there were no living borers, then there's no real need to treat them with anything.

If you did find borers in the legs and needed to treat them, the reality is that no treatment used to eradicate the borers is going to be completely harmless to your cat. 

You can greatly reduce the risk to your cat by using the method I've described above, but if ingested, even in trace amounts, all pesticides can be harmful.

Ultimately, the best way to keep your cats safe is to not use any hazardous chemicals on things they will come into contact with. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Upside3318]

Thanks again Jacob.

Is there any way to know whether there are borers or eggs etc in the wood before I bring it into my home? 

cheers

(Here’s the other cat, so she’s not left out. This is the face she made when she heard about the dangerous pesticides.)

[JacobZ]

Hi @Upside3318,

What a face she's pulling.

You could use some wire to probe the holes. If there are any borers in there, they should either be squished or disturbed enough to reveal themselves.

Let me know if there are any other questions.

Jacob

[RJA]

I had the same problem with a soft wood rafter. Could not see a borer but there was some minor (?spider) web on the rafter. I used a heat gun to heat the wood directly over the pile pile of debris until the wood got quite hot. So far so good - one month. I guess I may have cooked the critter and eggs

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @RJA. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for jumping into the discussion.

It sounds like your method has worked successfully. Just a word of caution to anyone else trying such a technique, heating any timber with a heat gun comes with risks, and if there is any frass (sawdust-like shavings) around it, it could provide an ignition source. It would be best to use caution and consider products designed to kill wood borers, like David Grey's 500ml Ant and Termite Spray.

We look forward to hearing all about your projects and plans around the house and garden. Feel free to reach out anytime you need assistance or have something to share with the community.

Mitchell
 

[CrikeyCoral]

I’ve too just discovered evidence of wood borer in a vintage cabinet (c. 1940-50s?)…

I thoroughly cleaned and inspected the piece when I first acquired it less than a year ago, or so I thought, and was introduced into the house and actively used in my then craft room for a good 6 months or so. I’ve been away for a few months and upon my return I found that the cabinet had been relocated out to the semi-weather proof deck adjacent to the house. The exact timeline of its relocation is uncertain…at least two weeks…give (or take) a couple… 

I am curious to seek advice about furniture’s susceptibility to borer located inside vs outside of the house, together with how likely is the borer to ‘jump ship’ to closely located other items of furniture and decking…or vice versa?

🙈🫣🙈

[EricL]

Hello @CrikeyCoral 

It sounds like you’ve had quite the surprise waiting for you on your return. Finding signs of wood borer in a beloved old cabinet can be unsettling, especially after thinking you’d already given it a thorough clean and inspection. The good news is that with a bit of understanding and care, you can usually get on top of the situation before it spreads.

Wood borers often the larvae of beetles like the common furniture beetle tend to go unnoticed for years. They spend most of their lives hidden inside the wood, slowly feeding away until they finally emerge as tiny beetles, leaving behind those familiar round holes and fine dust (called frass). So even though your cabinet looked fine when you first got it, the infestation may have already been quietly at work beneath the surface.

When the cabinet was indoors, the dry and stable conditions in your house probably kept the borer activity quite low. But moving it out to the deck would have exposed it to changes in humidity and temperature conditions that wood borers absolutely love. Dampness or higher moisture levels in particular can encourage existing larvae to develop faster, and sometimes even attract new beetles looking for a good place to lay eggs.

As for whether the borer can “jump ship” to other items, it’s possible, but not overly likely if the nearby wood is well-sealed, painted, varnished, or treated. They prefer unsealed, softer, or older timber. If your deck timber is treated, it’s probably safe, and modern indoor furniture usually doesn’t appeal much to them either. Still, it’s a good idea to keep the cabinet separate for now until you’ve treated it and are sure the activity has stopped.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric