Bugs in my Basswood?

[kitaye]

OK, this is probably going to sound silly but...I'm working on a carving of basswood.

Friday night, I was happily carving away when all of a sudden there is this "thing" on the wood. It looked like a scorpion with no tail but was maybe 1/2 the size of a green pea. I've never seen these things around here before and it appeared on the wood right after I found a soft spot. Didn't think to take a picture but any ideas what it might be?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

A bug?

[kitaye]

Smarty Pants! Do you think it really did come out of the basswood? This stuff was supposedly kiln dried when I bought it.

[Thomp]

was there a bug door in the wood? a hole?

where did you get the wood?

funny comment hi-ho

[brian-bailey]

If it came out of your basswood, you should be able to find a hole half the size of a green pea.

If your wood is dry, the only insect that I know of that will attack dry wood other than termites or carpenter ants is the lyctid powderpost beetle. Although, this beetle doesn't much care for basswood.

Lyctidae: Adult lyctids are small (1/32"-1/4"), slender, and uniform reddish-brown to black in color, with a prominent head easily visible from above. They are similar in appearance to some beetles that infest stored food (e.g., flour and grain beetles). Adult beetles lay tiny, cylindrical eggs in the pores of wood. Once the eggs hatch, larvae bore into the wood though larval entry holes are generally not visible to the naked eye. The larval galleries run with the grain of the wood and are generally short. The creamy-white, c-shaped larvae feed for 3-12 months (several years in some cases) and are responsible for all the damage. Damage is generally first noticed 6-12 months after initial infestation when the adult beetles emerge from the wood. When conditions permit, powderpost beetles will reinfest the same wood from which they emerge. In most cases, other wood products are unsuitable for attack because they are too dry, too moist, or are covered with a sealant (e.g. paint, varnish, or wax) that prevents egg laying.


It's really hard to id a bug without a picture. But, I don't believe your bug came from the basswood.

[AlArchie]

Sounds like a psuedoscorpion........there are a whole bunch of these things around, in different shapes, colors and sizes. I don't think they came from inside your basswood, but rather hitched a ride into the house ON the wood.

I've had a few of these (maybe a half dozen) over 20 years in this house.....they are not harmful and won't "bug" you except maybe emotionally

Check this Bug Guide. http://bugguide.net/node/view/2892#body

[kitaye]

That's the little blighter. Thank you Archie.

I couldn't find anything wrong with the wood except the softspot and a dark spot like a strip of dried sap, only way I can describe it. It's weird that I spent several hours carving on this piece of wood without seeing the stupid thing. But, more than likely you are right, it hitched a ride and was better hidden than I was attentive.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have never found anything in basswood except maybe some spalting....never even heard of one of those bugs Al and I thought we had most of the creepy crawlers here LOL.......You keep those in michigan, ya hear now? Talking

[brian-bailey]

I've seen a few of those false scorpions. I thought they were some sort of tick and promptly squashed them. After reading they eat other insects, I'll leave them be.

Thanks Al.