Woodworm in Beech Boards

[Harvo]

Hello,

While out walking the dog 4 or 5 years ago I came across a recently felled beech tree that was cut up into various sized pieces. I liberated a few sections, took them home, stripped the bark, cut them roughly square and then left them to season/dry in the garage.

Over Christmas I decided to cut them into boards approx. 2" thick, but found that every piece had been attacked by beetle/woodworm. I cut up and burnt the worst sections, but some of the others aren't too bad. I'm planning on using the boards to make some chunky, rustic looking shelves and I was thinking of simply filling the worm holes (will PVA and sawdust work?) and sanding smooth. However, while cutting them up I found a few live grubs still inside, so I know they aren't finished yet.

Having spend so much effort getting to this point I'm reluctant to chuck it all out, but want to be reasonably confident that they aren't going to get much worse or spread to the rest of the house. As I understand it the adult beetles like to lay their eggs in damp timber and the holes I'm looking at are exit holes so those new beetles have long since left. Now the wood is much drier is it less attractive to them? Is it worth injecting woodworm killer into those holes or will any remaining live grubs be safe in their own tunnels? Has anyone any other suggestions (apart from burning the lot!)?

Many thanks.

 

[merlin50]

big holes or small holes

 

[Harvo]

I'd say between 1-2mm diameter.

I presume the entry holes caused by the grubs when they first hatch from the eggs are so small you can't see them. They then munch away for a year or two and eventually eat their way out when ready to change into beetles. Is that when the dust is produced, immediately prior to the mature beetle leaving the timber as they push their way out?

 

[merlin50]

check the garage as the ones that have left will be looking for a new home. if its wood they will eat it if its wet or dry. if it was mine i would burn it before it eats the whole house. its always worse than it looks.

 

[thatbloke]

most if not all wood boring beetles will only live in damp conditions, simply drying things out and stopping the timber from getting damp will usually break the life cycle of wood boring beetles.
there are several different kinds, the only one i am not sure about is the Lyctus Powderpost beetle which as far as i am aware will only really attack hard woods , whether or net they need to be damp i dont know.
my old house has gone through a few periods of dereliction and has had quite a few attacks of wood boring beetles, when i moved in it had an active infestation. Rather than spray potentially dangerous chemicals everywhere i simply dried every thing out and the infestation stopped.