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Protecting Firewood
I'm starting to split wood as the four or so feet of snow starts to melt off. I'm going to stack it off the ground to promote drying and keep some of the bugs out of it. Is there anything that I can spray on the wood to keep the bugs from settling in? Someone was saying to spray a little kerosene or diesel on the stacks? I was hoping there was something not as toxic that could be used? I'm not sure if the kerosene/diesel would cause an odor or line the chimney?
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Protecting Firewood
What kind of wood and what kind of bugs?
Seems if it is firewood, any bugs will just help the drying process. Other than that, kerosene or diesel fuel will not deter bugs getting into wood. It would do no more than make the wood stink. I wouldn't expect the fuel to bother the chimney at all.
Are you concerned about the bugs getting into the house when you move the wood in to burn it? It is best not to stack wood against a wood part of your house, either inside or outside. Sometimes they will infest the house and be real difficult to get rid of after that.
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Protecting Firewood
Especially if there's ground contact and the infestation is termites. I guess I'm finally far enough north so there's little possibility of termites. Toronto seems north but a big chunk of its east-end is one big termite colony and it started from an old lumberyard.
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Protecting Firewood
The average firewood user, that is someone who lays in and uses the amount of firewood required annually, and not leaving a pile dormant for a few years has little to worry about termites, they seem to take 3 to 5 years to find wood piles since they dont travel very far or very often, usualy only to establish a new colony or re-establish one that's been disturbed.
More dangerous are Powder Post Beetles, they seem to be able to smell curing firewood from quite a distance, they seek out the exposed ends as a place to lay eggs. While they can do relatively little damage to your firewood itself, they can wreak havoc on the wood structure of any building they can get to. They are far more common than most people think, since termites seem to get all the publicity. They are no big problem if you follow a few simple rules, keep infested wood away from any other wood, keep the wood as dry as possible, burn any 'punky' wood first or merely throw it away, far away, and most importantly, inspect any wood you plan to store inside for small (1/8" round holes and dry talcum powder consistancy dust at the openings, this is wood that has been chewed already being pushed out the openings.
Best of luck.
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Protecting Firewood
You do need to be careful about spraying firewood. I have never used kerosene or diesel, but I suspect that they would stink and you would pick up residue on your clothes and hands whenever you got wood. Insecticides like Malithion may not be safe when burned for heat or cooking.
There is a trick that I have used by making a sort of "tea" with cayanne pepper. It is kind of like defense "pepper spray" and it will keep insects off of vegetables. It will wash off with water, but it may protect a covered woodpile from insects. It is certainly not very hazardous as long as you don't spray it into the wind. I would not worry about it in a fire.
The problem is that this is a lot of work to protect firewood. I just stack mine on blocks to get it off the ground and burn it before the infestation is a problem. Depending upon where you are, a lot of the firewood comes with its own infestation built right in. I spend a lot more time keeping the wood separate from my house and structures than I do worrying about the wood itself.
That said, it is probably a good idea to spray the ground around the woodpile with Dursban or other termite killing insecticide. It will not contaminate the wood and will keep the "imported" pests from getting out alive or starting a colony in the debris.
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Protecting Firewood
I have sprayed the wood with a pesticide, but generally it is not a problem if you are only cutting a year in advance.
I do not bring any extra bark from the woods as I try and split where it fell.
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03-16-2003, 06:25 
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