Keeping bugs out of your lumber!

[bberry]

On another forum there was a problem with pests getting into the new wood. one of the solutions to the problem was to spray pesticides or put borax on the wood. Pesticides need to be applied by someone with an applicators license and according to the label.Some customers may not want them on their lumber. Borax may be more "organic" but it can poison the ground around a lumber pile since it contains very high levels of boron. In agriculture what is becoming more widespread is the use of repellents. These are garlic oil, lemon oil, hot pepper wax etc. They are safe, cheap and effective. They simply block the scent of the fresh wood from the insect or act like skunk smell to people and repel the bugs from the area. Even spraying around the pile might be effective. Spraying the wood itself will not stain the wood since these oils are very light and aromatic. They are highly volatile and last only a few days which may be long enough to dry the surface of the wood. Borax used in the garden around the cabbage family in just a pinch is a safe and effective way to gt boron to those plants. More than that is asking for trouble. A teaspoon of borax around a fruit tree is enough for three years! You can make your own repellent spray by buying a big jar of cheap chopped garlic and putting it in a blender.Strain it and add it to water for a safe spray. I would spray with lemon oil on the outside of the pile three days later if needed. A spray made from lemon scented dish washing soap might be very good.

[jpgreen]

I had some pine left stacked, and not stickered and when I brought it home, the mold had set in.  I used my pressure washer and cleaned the lumber, then made a bucket up of borax with a little clorox solution and brushed them down.  Restored them nicely.

[ohsoloco]

I've noticed that the bugs like to get into lumber that still has bark left on it.  After I realized this, I started edging my boards so that there was no wane on any of the boards I produced.  Then I realized that this wastes a lot of good lumber  :  If there is some bark that doesn't get edged off, I just pop it off with a screwdriver or framing chisel....so far, so good  :P