Western Pine Beetles

[mikeydo]

Last week I milled up some pine from a friends ranch in southern OR. the trees had been standing dead and after we milled and stickered, I started to notice piles of sawdust from beetles and eventual found a live beetle and some larvae. I was leaving town for a week and covered with a tarp and set off two small bug bombs under the tarp.  

So question, what can I do to treat and kill these, I do not have a kiln, just air dry inside. I also do not want them to spreed to other areas in my shop, lumber stacks or green logs. Its less then 500 BF but it is the blue pine and we are going to make a island for his new house from his trees. So it is not something i want to just burn.

Thank in advance. 

[WDH]

Most likely ambrosia beetles.  They need wet wood to breed.  Once the wood begins drying out, even a little, they will leave the wood.  Even after only a few days of air drying.  That is what you are seeing with the little sawdust piles.  The ambrosia beetles are leaving.  They will not be a threat to your dried wood, but green logs could be an issue.  You could cover your green logs, but I bet the green logs also have some in them already.  Once you saw and sticker the lumber from the green logs, any ambrosia beetles in the wood will promptly leave.