Now with the cooler months upon us, it’s important for homeowners to be mindful about pests that can accidentally be brought into the home. One common way that pests enter homes in winter is through firewood brought in to use for cooking and to heat the home.
Here is some information about firewood insects, how to store your firewood to avoid pest infestations, and extermination options for wood insects.
Types of Firewood Pests and Wood Insects
There are quite a few different wood insects that love making their homes inside of firewood. Carpenter ants take up residence in chopped wood because they like to hollow out sections for nesting. Termites are a big problem with firewood that is stored on the ground outdoors. You may be able to notice mud tunnels on the exterior of firewood if it has been infested by termites.
Certain types of beetles, such as long-horned beetles and bark beetles, are attracted to dead wood as well and can be brought into the home with winter firewood. Ants, wasps, sow bugs, centipedes, pill bugs, and other insects may hitch a ride in cut wood as well.
How to Prevent Termites in Firewood
Wood insects typically seek out dying trees and newly-cut trees, so fresh firewood is most at risk. To prevent termites in firewood, as well as other pests, it is a good idea to stack and store your firewood off the ground. Also keep firewood out of wet weather and soggy ground conditions.
While many people store firewood in garages and basements, this is not advised due to the risk of insect infestation. Instead, store firewood in a structure that is not attached to the house, such as a backyard shed. Avoid the temptation to buy treated firewood that contains insecticides because those chemicals can pose health risks to your family when burned.
Other prevention tips for firewood pests include storing firewood away from trees, using the oldest cut wood first, and only using locally sourced firewood to prevent the spread of non-native insects. When you do bring in firewood, burn it immediately so that insects don’t have a chance to crawl out and find new places to live inside of your home.
Treatments for Wood Boring Insects
If firewood pests have made their way into your home despite your best prevention efforts, it may be time to call a professional exterminator for help. Wood boring insects can cause serious damage to the exterior and interior of a home, so it’s necessary to seek treatment at the first sign of insect activity.
The pest control experts at Precise Pest Control are skilled in removing and eliminating all of the wood boring insects mentioned above and many others too. Depending on how widespread the infestation is, termites in firewood can be commonly controlled by collecting, vacuuming, and spraying their habitats. If you’ve noticed bugs crawling out of your firewood or an increase in household insects now that you’ve started burning wood in the fireplace, give us a call at 866-971-2847 for a free home evaluation.