OT: Something eating my red oak china cabinet

Something eating my red oak china cabinet. Noticed there was dust inside china cabinet. Thought it was construction dust. Noticed today the top of the cabinet has very tiny holes in it and new oak power like saw dust is falling out of them. The critters are not termites, no mud tubes. Just on the very top of the cabinet. What do I have and how do I get rid of them? Thanks
George

George, that sounds like powder post beetles. I'm not sure how you would get rid of them but you might call you local extension service for advice.

maybe carpenter ants? I heard fire works! might want to get it out of the house before they start eating the important parts

they are carpenter ants,my wife had them in a antique church peau. went to plunkett pest control co and they gave us a powder to sprinkel on the peau an that took care of them. hope it helps bob

The hole they leave behind is very small, needle size at best. No visiable signs of ants or critters either. I made this cabinet a few years ago from oak I got at a saw mill. It was Kiln dried.

I have seen oak in the past that had much larger worm holes and thought nothing of it. There is none of that wood in this cabinet.

GERM is the winner!! they are powder post beetles. Borax is the answer, there is a product called BORACARE which is available and actually will penetrate the wood and kill the eggs that create the bug that makes the holes...

Info on
powder post beatles

Yup, they were in the wood when you made the cabinet,,,, they move at Galcier speed,,,,, but someday no cabinet if left unattended.

After you treat, going to have to keep a eye on it for a few more years, they may show up in other places.

L.

Yes, powder post beetles. An exterminator could carry the cabinet to an outdoor location, seal it in plastic sheeting and fumigate it. Not low cost. Heating to above 160 degrees for a couple of hours also works but might ruin the finish and the glue. Boracare applied in the holes with an insulin needle will keep the problem under control.

Thanks to all. Looks like I have powerpost beatles problem. Will call my termite guy tomorrow. He was telling me of how bed bugs are very difficult to get rid of because of the chemical restrictions. They use heat to kill them. Perhaps I'll need to call a body shop and see if I could put the cabinet in their oven.

I call them shot worms cause it looks like the wood has been hit with fine shot. They like the sap wood the best. If you can seal the cabinate in a big plastic bag & use a good spray insecticide should get them.

I'd be worried about heat warping or otherwise destroying the wood. I'd have to check my lables, but I think they are fairly easy to kill with several insecticides. Your termite guy will have the best answer.
AaronSEIA

Years ago when I was in Texas I bought my sister a couple of horse heads carved out of drift wood that formed a table once cut a sheet of glass for the top. She didn't use them for years, only wrapped them in plastic and put them in storage. One day she decided to use them and when she unwrapped them, same thing. Pin holes like post beetles and plenty of dust. She took them to an exterminator that identified whatever kind of beetle that they were and exterminated them over a few days by locking them up in a vault with gas of some sort. Caught them in time before they really really did some damage that would have deformed or destroyed them. Afterwards she varnished the heck out of them which would have suffocated anything that maybe survived the extermination, filled the pin holes, and coated them with a beautiful protection. They make a beautiful table. The exterminator guessed that the wood used to make them was untreated because I went through my sisters home in that whole area and found no damage to the home, which means they were confined within the plastic bags.

Good luck. And CALL AN EXTERMINATOR before its too late.

Mark

If your wood was kiln dryed it may have killed the bugs that were in it then but if it sat around a yard for awhile it was reinfested with the powder post beetles. This is comman if there is infestation in the yard. The center of the wood should be 140-160 degree,was it microwave dryed ?they are not as hot or possible dehumidification.You would be asking for trouble with the body shop method.