Timber Framers Guild Forums General Off Topic getting rid of beetles

we've just had a sculpture returned by its new owners with a chewing sound and a sawdust pile that weren't components of the original vision. i think the insect is some kind of boring beetle from the sound. we have pine sar beetles in the yard.

this is a detail of the piece. you can see the bark of the balsam fir.



the challenge is the clients would like to keep the bark on as it was made. (it's a nice contrast.) any ideas on how to evict or otherwise deal with the insects? i've considered spraying poison in the hole, keeping it in the sauna for a long time at 100degrees, or submerging it in water. thoughts on whether any of these approaches are likely to work? how long can these guys hold their breath? are they as tough as a finnish grandmother?

If the borer is of large status, compressed air works well, use the air nozzle with the rubber tip, and maybe rubber gloves, and a face shield.

Tim

hey- that's a neat idea. i can just imagine the softness of the chewing grub, and the victory of his crushing. thanks tim for adding to the barrage.

Interesting conundrum!

I'd stay away from a sauna or submerging in water b/c it's wood and may develop huge cracks upon drying, etc.

Tim's idea is neat. I also think there's a sonic device you plug into outlets to rid pests from walls (cockroaches, etc). Maybe wrapping a couple extension cords around the sculpture w/ these plugged in might work ????

Or maybe covering the piece in a homemade plastic tent and then setting off a super-insect-fogger-bomb inside ???

interesting. thanks. poison has been the first method. poison and wait and listen and look for sawdust. i think we're winning.

Burning it works for Stumpkins but I think it's not so good for the sculpture. Black bag and some bug spray works for Wasp nests, that might be the way to go. The air compressor trick is good if you can find the entry hole. Try filling the air hose with a Borate solution ( or Dursban ) and then injecting in the hole under pressure.

I've always wanted to go to Burning Man, but I can't stand crowds and $300 a ticket would burn this man to a crisp.

djswan, destroyer and derailer of threads.

oh look at that... Siegfried is even wearing a kilt...could be onto somefin' there bud.. bwahahaha

back on topic.... how big is the sculpture? would it fit in an industial microwave oven? as long as it doesn't start glowing in the dark.. lol

No, not quite. It's Beatles, not dragons. The most famous Beatles slayer being Mark David Chapman.

Yes, we are in Off Topic.