blazenut Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Powder post? Termites? Ants? Any ideas? They didnt get to the joists ends, but they got the bottom of the band joist. It does seem powdery when probed, and my screwdriver didnt go all the way through. No wood soil contact anywhere nearby and i didnt see any tubes. Normally i would just ask the bug guys what it is, but, i found it on my house... Click to Enlarge 52.72 KB Click to Enlarge 46.31 KB Click to Enlarge 51.17 KB Click to Enlarge 50.29 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Lewis Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 I can't see any exit holes, but it sure looks like powder post beetles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 Yep, Looks like lychtids (PPB). OT - OF!!! M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Lozier Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 sure looks like small exit 'shot holes' to me ....lyctid beetle frass especially if frass is 'flour or talc' like and holes are 1/16" or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Most definitely PPB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazenut Posted November 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Thanks guys, thats what i thought, but i just wanted to make sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Call Jim Renfroe at Wood Care Systems. Tell him what you've got and ask him which potion will work the best. He'll hook you up. OT - OF!!! M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Since it's on your own house...... I'd just keep a close eye out for current activity (new exit holes, powder coming out of exit holes, etc. If you don't see any signs of current activity, why treat? Also, I believe anobiid beetles require a min. 13% moisture content(based on Truman's pest control book) moisture content. I don't usually see any signs of anobiid's unless there's a home with inadequate ventilation, water intrusion issues, drainage issues, etc. Does your crawlspace get wet seasonally? Is your soil well covered with a vapor barrier? Do you have enough ventilation under your home? Is this limited to one small area, or is it spread throughout? If it's in one small area, and it's due to limited ventilation, I'll bet you this is in a corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 If you don't see any signs of current activity, why treat? lychtids and annobiidae larvae spend years inside the wood before they mature. You'll only see fresh frass when they're still close to the burrow hole openings. If they've burrowed deep, they can live deep in the wood for years and not show you any outward indication that they are there. Products like TimBor and BoraCare can soak into the wood. Borate screws up their guts so they can't digest their food and they die. Better safe than sorry, no? ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 lychtids and annobiidae larvae spend years inside the wood before they mature. You'll only see fresh frass when they're still close to the burrow hole openings. If they've burrowed deep, they can live deep in the wood for years and not show you any outward indication that they are there. Products like TimBor and BoraCare can soak into the wood. Borate screws up their guts so they can't digest their food and they die. Better safe than sorry, no? Valid points. If I saw evidence in one small area (in my own house), I may just monitor the area or fix whatever is allowing them to take hold. I think anobiid's stay in the wood for 1-3 years, and I don't think lyctids attack softwoods-- correct me if I'm wrong as I'm too lazy to look it up right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Moore Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 I'm too lazy to look it up right now... OK, I did. I really wasn't 100% sure about pine (which that rim-joist looks like). Everything I can find online suggests that lyctids would not infest pine. So, I suspect they are anobiids. Not true powderpost beetles but often lumped together under that name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 . . . I think anobiid's stay in the wood for 1-3 years, . . . Fun fact to know & tell: According to Lonnie Anderson, at a seminar that he gave in '94, there's a documented case of anobiids emerging as full adults 82 years after entering the wood. The scientists who studied the case speculated that the insects existed in a state of diapause for much of that time. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 OK, I was too lazy to look up the lyctid thing, but had to look up the word "diapause" to be sure the beetles didn't take "2-breaks" If beetles entered wood and went mostly dormant for 82 years, would you push for treatment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 OK, I was too lazy to look up the lyctid thing, but had to look up the word "diapause" to be sure the beetles didn't take "2-breaks" If beetles entered wood and went mostly dormant for 82 years, would you push for treatment? Nah. I'd wait 'em out and when they emerged, I'd smack 'em with a hammer. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHI in AR Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 OK, I was too lazy to look up the lyctid thing, but had to look up the word "diapause" to be sure the beetles didn't take "2-breaks" If beetles entered wood and went mostly dormant for 82 years, would you push for treatment? Nah. I'd wait 'em out and when they emerged, I'd smack 'em with a hammer. - Jim Katen, Oregon After 82 years, I'm sure they would emerge very slowly...with tiny little canes and walkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 OK, I was too lazy to look up the lyctid thing, but had to look up the word "diapause" to be sure the beetles didn't take "2-breaks" If beetles entered wood and went mostly dormant for 82 years, would you push for treatment? Nah. I'd wait 'em out and when they emerged, I'd smack 'em with a hammer. - Jim Katen, Oregon LOL, About ten years ago, I was in the middle of doing an inspection on a home when I found what looked like anobiidae frass on the doorsill below a brand new, just imported from California, custom door. As I was standing there pondering the frass and running my eyes over that door, a little black dot appeared and began to grow larger. That's when I realized that a bug was emerging from the wood. I ran over to my car, found an aspirin bottle, dumped it out and then ran back and scooped up the bug. By then there were two or three with fresh emergence holes, so I stood there and collected them one by one until I'd gotten more than a dozen. They turned out to be lychtids, which aren't native to this region. Didn't see any walkers or canes, though. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 You can wait them out if you like Jim, but I imagine 82 years from now I'll be experiencing insect emergance on a very intimate level. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 You can wait them out if you like Jim, but I imagine 82 years from now I'll be experiencing insect emergance on a very intimate level. Tom Nah, by then the insects will be long gone. Unless you turn into a zombie. I hear that the undead have horrible problems with insects. - Jim in Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazenut Posted November 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 This is in a dry basement, limited to a about 4 foot of the rim joist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 This is in a dry basement, limited to a about 4 foot of the rim joist. Hopefully that will be the extent of the infestation. If it turns outs out to be widespread, a fumigation with Vikane gas might be indicated. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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