Found wood and bugs

[Amalgam]

Hello,
What technique should I use to get rid of the possible bugs that still live in the found pieces of wood?
Thank you
Alfredo

[kaiserb]

PUt it in the deep freeze for a day or so

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

or put it in a big trash bag and hold it in front of the exhaust on your car, tie the bag and let it sit for a day or so until the bag goes down.......then put it in the freezer LOL, "I don vant no stinkin bugs in my house!"

[Lightningbolt]

I've carved quite a lot of sticks that obviously had current living residents inside and I usually love the various markings left visible on the wood which adds tons of character IMHO. I just go ahead and carve the stick, add the polyurethane finish and things seem to just fine after that.

[Amalgam]

It is not like I doubt the words of the experts, but the bag and the exhaust of the car technique is true or just a joke? Also, is the freezer step part of true or part of the joke? Sorry!!!
Alfredo

[brian-bailey]

Amalgam,

There are only two effective ways to eradicate bugs in wood.

One way is to have the wood professionally fumigated with methyl bromide.

The other way is by heating the wood to at least 130 degrees F. for several hours.

Brian...

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

True.....I was given an old piece of ironwood to use as a base for my sea turtle, problem was it had been laying out in the yard for years! It had termites in it!! I filled a garbage bag with exhaust, tied it off and left it for a couple of days...no oxygen in the bag, just carbon monoxide...then to be absolutely sure, I put the taped up bag in the freezer for a couple of days.......no live bugs, didn't even see dead ones! The last thing I want to bring into the house are termites!!

[woodcarver55555]

Hi-Ho tells no joke about baging on the tailpipe. You can also put moth crystels( not mothballs) in an oldsock ( keep the old sock jabs in the other thread please) and put in a trashbag of wood you want to debug. Leave it for a few days, then air the wood out. I always do this, than wash all the sand and trash off driftwood I have picked up along the river. I don't think I have gotten any of that mountain driftwood yet, this river does not come from the Blue Ridge area, lol. OH, thats another thread isn't it.

[Linda L]

Could be a problem for some, but I just put pieces that will fit into a garbage bag and give it a shot of bug spray. After a few days, I open it and set it out in the sun to air. So far, no bugs.

For longer sticks and pieces, I just spray lightly. Might be a good idea to hose them off before working on them if you are sensitive.

Linda

[kaiserb]

Originally Posted by brian bailey

The other way is by heating the wood to at least 130 degrees F. for several hours.

Brian...

It gets hotter than that in TX... and we still have bugs.