help emergency - bugs in wood

[styer]

my goodness my first WORK is soon to be distroyed ,this morning i looked and there is 2 holes in the wood it seems to be termites boring holes thru it !!WHAT CAN I DO!! because i hate to see it that way any help would be great
cheers
styer

[carver 27]

you can do a Google search you may have to buy chemicals
hope this helps

[AlArchie]

Depending on the size of the piece, pop it in the micro-wave and zap it for 30 seconds or so. Should take care of any little critters! Or like my wife says "NUKE IT"

Al

[susieq]

More importantly.....where is the rest of the wood that that piece came from???? If your carving has termites, the rest of that wood probably does also. I hope it's not stored some place where they could spread into a building or home. Check the rest of your wood quickly and take action if needed.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

roll it up behind your car/truck and let the exhaust blow on it...bugs don't like the exhaust. I put a large piece of very old ironwood in a garbage/leaf sack and filled it with exhaust and tied it off and let it sit for a couple of days...no more bugs!

[brian-bailey]

Heat your wood to 135 degrees F. for a couple of hours. End of problem!

Safe, proven, and 100% effective.

[Mitchell]

Any of the advice above will work. Not that this will save your work, but where did you get the wood? What type of wood is it. Was it "found" or purchased and then stored - or used right away.

Most likely it is some boring beetles (or larve) and not termites, and was there before you carved the wood. That's the reason I asked the questions above. If the wood was stored outside for some time, and near the ground, it could be termites....if higher and/or inside the boring bugs may be the culprit.

If you use the microwave, keep an eye on the wood. It is safe, but CAN heat up quickly; especially if still green.

[Keoma]

Eeeew! I am so sorry for you! This happens to me quite often since I use all salvaged wood. I have been able to carve away the spots if it is caught quick enough. But sadly, I have had to toss a few project DIRECTLY into the fire. No foolin around.
I hope you are able to salvage your project make sure you oust any of the remaining wood and don't let it mingle with the rest of your stash!
I am glad to hear about this stuff too. This will help me a great deal. I would also like to mention that if you are using a microwave...make sure no metal in your wood!
I agree with Mitchell, It is probably not termites, the little pain in the but larvae and worms...
We don't need to talk about the time I sanded the wormies in a piece of old oak...

[Sharon of the Dell]

I've had some wood like that and I put it in a paper bag and NUKE IT! Just check every minute or so, so it doesn't catch on fire. I've dried small pieces of green wood that way and it works fairly well.

[dnstehly]

You have had lots of good advice Styer, but I'll throw in one more. I harvest all of my own wood. I call it "native wood", others call it "found wood". I frequently find insect damage especially in deadfall. I saturate the piece with DAP Wood Life then let it dry out completely before carving. You can also go the other way by carving first and then saturating. In any case, you should not be handling the wood while it is wet with the Wood Life.