# Bug Kill Details?



## Sprung

This morning I noticed some tiny black bugs on a little bit of the wood on my wood rack in the garage. I didn't have time to dig through it all to see how much of the wood they're on, but I plan to later, when I have more time. This is a wire rack shelving unit of turning blanks (spindle and small bowl), small boards, and thins.

These are tiny black bugs, about the size of a dot that is the period at the end of a sentence. I didn't notice any holes on the pieces I found them on.

Everything on the rack is dry - either kiln dry or air dry. I'm thinking I need to do a bug kill cycle and this will give me the excuse I've been looking for to put together the small light bulb kiln I've been wanting to build.

In my research I've found conflicting answers to the two questions I have.

1. What temperature do I need to get the wood up to for bug kill?

2. About how long does it take to heat a piece up to temperature for bug kill? Say, a 3/4" board, a 1 1/2" square spindle and also a 3" square peppermill blank.

One more bonus question:

If anyone is running a temperature controller on your light bulb kiln, what are you using? Looking at Amazon, I was looking at this as a possibility, but was wondering if there were better options out there.


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## TimR

Matt, I think the number that I keep hearing is about 130F for several hours...though I run mine with blocks of wood up to the size you're talking about considerably longer...longer is better, right?? When I hit 130, if already dry...I leave it there a day.
As for temp control, I run something like this into my dishwasher/lightbulb kiln. I've found that I can maintain a pretty close to 130F with just a 100W and 40W bulb going inside. I slowly ramp up (for green wood) from use of a 40w, to 60, to 100, to 140W which gives me a pretty constant temp at each bulb rating. The fact that incandescents are getting harder and harder to find, makes a case for not using any sort of thermostat that would cycle the bulbs more and lead to shorter life...IMO.

Be sure to insulate your kiln well...makes a big difference unless your shop is in Phoenix and not air conditioned.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## Mike1950

From what I have read- PPB's-there are 3 kinds- The one you need to get to 132 degrees for a few hours. I usullay do a few more degrees for 24 hrs. It kills them.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Sprung

Thanks, Tim and Mike, that's exactly the information I was looking for. Looks like I'll be building a light bulb kiln this weekend.


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## Mike1950

Sprung said:


> Thanks, Tim and Mike, that's exactly the information I was looking for. Looks like I'll be building a light bulb kiln this weekend.


old fridge -insulated and has racks.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sprung

Mike1950 said:


> old fridge -insulated and has racks.



I was thinking about scouring Craigslist for one. If I don't find one, I've got access to a bunch of lightly used foam insulation board at no cost to me and have a few wire racks of various sorts around.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mike1950

Add on craigslist- wanted- you will get one for free...

Reactions: Agree 3


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## TimR

Some would look at this pic and wonder what a wood shop needs a dishwasher for...or a microwave, or toaster oven. The fridge, wayllll, I think we know what it's used for.

Reactions: Like 6


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## David Van Asperen

Great info, thanks for sharing.
Dave


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## Mr. Peet

Answer #1. = 132 F is the common, that is why most set 140F as the low setting for bug issues. I use Ortho foggers for wood storage areas. I live in an old house that has also had silver fish issues, along with book mites. Most anything I sell in stock has been microwaved, heat treated or fumigated. Over seas stuff often has all three. If you have bugs, I would vacuum clean everything possible. If you can not incinerate the waste, double bag it for curbside. Might want to do the same with the vacuum filter. Once you have a clean house, frass piles are easier to fine, plus a good time to fumigate. if the problem prosiest, methylbromide, applied by a pro.

I have a few bug scared knife making friends that sand their dried blanks and spray them with Deft clear coat as a precaution. May be an extreme, but it works.

You need a shop monkey to eat those bugs, maybe Brink can hook you up?....

Answer #2 = 3/4 board, 3 hours, 1.5 sq. stock, 3-3.25 hours, 3" sq. stock, 6 hours.

Microwaves work great on high moisture bugs, low moisture wood. Larva excellent and eggs hit and miss.

I used a rheostat / dimmer switch and a meat / canning thermometer on the one I had. Worked great then, modern bulbs, don't know now.

Reactions: Informative 3


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## Sprung

Mr. Peet said:


> I use Ortho foggers for wood storage areas.



Mark, is there a specific Ortho fogger you use? I think I'd like to consider fogging both the garage and shed as part of this process. And definitely plan to do a thorough cleaning - got myself partway there last week, so it won't be such a large undertaking to give the place a deep cleaning. My shop is only a 1 car garage. Aside from the smaller stuff on the rack where I found the bugs, on the opposite wall I've got nearly 100BF of lumber on racks, but I haven't seen any bugs in that yet (but I will be checking more thoroughly). And in the shed I've got about 500BF of lumber, but I haven't looked at that yet.


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## Tony

This sucks Matt, I hope it works out okay and you get everything cleared up! Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Mike1950

Sprung said:


> Mark, is there a specific Ortho fogger you use? I think I'd like to consider fogging both the garage and shed as part of this process. And definitely plan to do a thorough cleaning - got myself partway there last week, so it won't be such a large undertaking to give the place a deep cleaning. My shop is only a 1 car garage. Aside from the smaller stuff on the rack where I found the bugs, on the opposite wall I've got nearly 100BF of lumber on racks, but I haven't seen any bugs in that yet (but I will be checking more thoroughly). And in the shed I've got about 500BF of lumber, but I haven't looked at that yet.



Boracare- some say 20 mule team borax.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mr. Peet

Both the Erlich man and Terminex guy said the flea and tic one. They (foggers) come in assorted sizes. Have the volumetric footage figured out before you go to buy a fogger. The next thing that sucks, wash you hands after every shop visit. I also avoid the area for 24 hours afterward (my own procedure). I also used the ant one once. They both seem to work on the spiders too.

Just read the instructions several times. Keep pets and children in mind, not just yours but any that might visit your shop. Don't forget about static sources, water heaters, dryers and heating systems. We schedule a family day away, set the foggers off and go. Our tricky challege is keeping the fish safe. Good luck, be patient, and be safe.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## JR Custom Calls

Mr. Peet said:


> Our tricky challege is keeping the fish safe.


Ugh. What a pain that is. We had a flea problem once, had to fog the house. At the time, I had a 150, 125, and a couple 40 breeders, one of which a reef. That was the most nervous i had been in a while. Lots of plastic, duct tape. And some air pumps outside with returns to get fresh air in to the tanks.


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## robert flynt

What if you put the small pieces in the microwave oven and make them go snap, crackle, and pop!

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Sprung

robert flynt said:


> What if you put the small pieces in the microwave oven and make them go snap, crackle, and pop!



I thought about that - but not for very long! I'd be having to buy my wife a new microwave post-haste!


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## Mr. Peet

That's why you pick one (microwave) up for the shop at a yard sale. If the wood moisture is too high, microwaves' steaming ability can cause micro-fracturing that is readily found on the lathe. These micro-fractures are also often pathways for standard checking.

High moisture bugs pop, low moisture bugs can survive tens of minutes where as your wood may not. I burned a nice piece of FL mahogany at 3 minutes in the wave because it had an iron based mineral deposit. Since true mahogany is like the wife , well, it is nearly never in my shop and therefore I was very upset with the result.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Kevin

Mr. Peet said:


> That's why you pick one (microwave) up for the shop at a yard sale. If the wood moisture is too high, microwaves' steaming ability can cause micro-fracturing that is readily found on the lathe. These micro-fractures are also often pathways for standard checking.
> 
> High moisture bugs pop, low moisture bugs can survive tens of minutes where as your wood may not. I burned a nice piece of FL mahogany at 3 minutes in the wave because it had an iron based mineral deposit. Since true mahogany is like the wife , well, it is nearly never in my shop and therefore I was very upset with the result.



Mark do you have a list of high moisture bugs versus low moisture bugs?


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## Mr. Peet

No I don't. It was implied that based on your experiences and some common sense issues; such as larger bugs have higher water ratios on average, larval stages have higher ratio averages, the egg state is vulnerable and often the adult stage is less affected.

Each microwave tends to work at levels independent of other microwaves, so it is sadly a learn as you go experience that will lead to some disapointments.


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## Kevin

Mr. Peet said:


> No I don't. It was implied that based on your experiences and some common sense issues; such as larger bugs have higher water ratios on average, larval stages have higher ratio averages, the egg state is vulnerable and often the adult stage is less affected.
> 
> Each microwave tends to work at levels independent of other microwaves, so it is sadly a learn as you go experience that will lead to some disapointments.




Actually the "egg state" is the very most survival stage of all for most borers and that's why fumigation and "microwave" (only) eradication is the least effective of all.


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## Sprung

Am running stuff through the kiln I built right now. Actually, I just emptied out the first round this morning and loaded it back up for the next round. I'm thinking, in the size box I built, that it's going to take 5 or 6 loads to run everything that needs to be run through. My plan for this winter is to either build a bigger and better lightbulb kiln or get an old fridge and turn it into a kiln. This one is working just fine, but I think I'm going to want something that will suit my needs longer term than just a bug kill right now. At least this one also proved to me that it's not difficult to build one of these - or to get it up to temp with 160w of light bulbs (controlled on a rheostat right now) and a 120mm computer fan to circulate air.

I do have a question. Are there some woods that don't need to go through a bug kill cycle? For example, very dense or oily woods? Everything's going to get run through regardless, but I was just curious if there's stuff that wouldn't necessarily need to get run through a bug kill cycle, if there's something the bugs won't get into.


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## Mr. Peet

Yes, there are many woods. I recommend getting a copy of "Useful Woods of the World" and a copy of "More Useful Woods of the World". These 2 books cover 350 species of the most commonly used woods of the trade. It has basic data and often covers the difference in the sapwood versus the heartwood within each species as well. Some, the sapwood is quite at risk while others not at all. These books are very well put together and easy to use. Ask Kevin about them, I believe he may have an inside source....

Reactions: Like 1


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## GS-76

130 degrees for 2-4 hrs will kill bugs as long as internal temp gets to 130 degrees. I use Bora care by ( Do your own pest control. Com ) to spray my wood too. Non toxic and works it’s way through the wood forever.

Reactions: Informative 2


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