Homes made of wood are susceptible to damage from wood-boring beetles.
There are many types of insects that bore into wood including carpenter bees, termites, ants and beetles. Beetles that infest wood include longhorned beetles, flat-headed borers, deathwatch beetles and powderpost beetles. Some beetles bore into and eat wood throughout their life cycles and some only eat wood in the larval stage. Some choose seasoned dry wood as their primary food source while others favor moist or rotting wood as their primary food source. Wood surfaces that are unprotected, untreated or have a damaged finish are most susceptible to insect damage. Fixing damage in a log home can be challenging if it is extensive, but you can successfully make repairs and protect the wood from any future beetle invasions. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Assess the damage and eradicate the insects. Inspect the damaged areas and all of the logs around the damaged areas, including the ends of the logs. Photograph all of the damaged areas with enough detail in the photographs that you can find the damaged areas later. It is easy to miss an area that needs to be repaired if you have multiple areas of damage. Insect infestation may be a sign of wood rot in your home, so identify any areas of moist or rotted wood. Identify the insects that are doing the damage. It is possible that your home is infested with more than one type of wood-boring insect. The treatment to remove beetles is different than the treatment to remove termites or carpenter bees. Remove all insect populations that are infesting your home to prevent further damage before making any repairs.
2. Replace or repair rotted wood. It is not possible to effectively seal or stain rotted wood. Replace any log sections that are visibly rotten to avoid future infestation. If there is a significant amount of intact wood around the rotted area, remove the rotted wood and use a commercially available epoxy to fill the void. Use pigments to match the color of the wood used to construct your home so the epoxy will blend with the wood. If the chinking between the logs interferes with the repair, remove the chinking and replace it later.
3. Treat with a boron-based preservative. Boron is not a poison or an insecticide. It does not do harm to the people who apply it or the environment around your house. It works by raising the pH level of the wood so that the wood does not rot. Boron-based preservatives do not kill insects; they prevent the rotten wood that attracts the insects.
4. Fill any holes. Fill the beetle holes with caulk. Make sure to purchase caulk that you can apply stain to and is made for wood repair. Allow the caulk to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions before staining it.
5. Stain and seal the wood. One of the most effective ways to prevent insect damage is to seal the wood with which your log home is constructed. Seal the repaired wood areas with a commercial stain that is designed to prevent wood rot and insect infestation. Stain generally lasts between three and six years when applied. To avoid new beetle infestations, remove and replace old damaged or worn stain from the entire home, not just the damaged areas.
Tags: damaged areas, your home, rotted wood, areas with, bore into, bore into wood, carpenter bees
