Pine Bark Beetles in lumber

[Charles Hampton]

I understand that Southern Yellow Pine trees that are cut with Pine Bark Beetles will produce lumber with live insects inside. If the lumber is only air dried, will the beetles continue to live and reproduce in the lumber? Thanks.

[BaldBob]

Unless you are leaving the bark on, there will be no bark beetles in the lumber.

[Don P]

Agreed I don't believe they can live in dry lumber. Here is one paper I found on wood damage and utilization;

https://www.barkbeetles.org/spb/ubksp/UBKSPTC.html

[WDH]

It is not bark beetles that get in the wood, it is the ambrosia beetle.  After the bark beetles weakens and kills the tree, the opportunistic ambrosia beetle attacks the dying tree and bores into the wood to make egg galleries.  Once the wood begins drying, the beetles leave the wood.  Once air dried, they are all gone.  However, their characteristic black lined holes remain. 

[Southside]

And then some lazy home exterminator makes @YellowHammer have a bad day.  ;D

[YellowHammer]

That is a fact.  Bugs is bugs, and bug are bad.

Before you know it, the customer will claim they are plague carrying nanites that will eat a house down to the concrete.




  

[Charles Hampton]

Thanks for the replies; that is good news. I have a couple of acres of SYP that is under attack by pine bark beetles, and want to cut the affected trees to make lumber for a barn. A little damage to the wood by ambrosia beetles is tolerable as long as I know it won't get worse after the barn is built. 

[Don P]

It's strength properties do drop pretty rapidly as a dead tree weathers and more recyclers take over. If any are getting to that condition I'd use them for panelling or maybe sheathing.

One real world check on log condition is to pick an edging size you can break fairly easily. Make one out of good wood and notice how the fibers break as you bend it, should be nice and long fibers. Then cut a sample out of other logs as you saw. As wood decays that break becomes short and brash, that is non structural.