Wood borers

[Jollygoodfellow]

Yesterday while at my bar I found one end of the bar had several little mounds of sawdust, on further examination I also found on wood around a window and kitchen door. What will I do about these, pest exterminator or maybe something to spray? 

[Willie]

I just solved the same problem a couple of months ago. It is a Philippine type of termite. Go to the hardware store and tell them about it and the will have a chemical for you to apply.

[not so old china hand]

34 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

What will I do about these, pest exterminator or maybe something to spray? 

Based on my experiences of dealing with termites on the junk in Hong Kong I would recommend that the first step is to try and identify the borers and then work out your strategy. Just using an insect spray could just encourage the pests to move deeper into the wood. Try probing a hole with a length of stiff wire to  catch one of the pests then compare it with pictures on the internet. Then if you employ an exterminator you will be in a better position to judge whether they know what they are doing.

If it is termites disturb them as little as possible until you are ready to strike once and strike hard.

I would also check the general condition of your woodwork. Although termites can chew through nearly anything (including cement) they prefer something soft. Water softened wood for example or sapwood rather than heart-wood.

As always JMHO.

Good luck.

[Willie]

The name of the chemical I used was sulignum

[Jollygoodfellow]

22 minutes ago, not so old china hand said:

Try probing a hole with a length of stiff wire to  catch one of the pests then compare it with pictures on the internet.

The holes are so small you can not see the holes when wiping away the sawdust. They must be tiny creatures. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

16 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

They must be tiny creatures. 

They are tiny and they are everywhere.  I have had some success by thoroughly soaking the affected wood with Baygon spray and repeating daily for a week.  Not a scientific approach but something that has worked for me, discovered by trial and error.  YMMV and all that  Just be sure you spray at a time when no one will be around for a while as that stuff stinks.  As an afterthought, I use the water soluable Baygon in the tinfoil packets and mix it with water and use a spray bottle.  Its not any different than the aerosol can but its a lot cheaper.

[jpbago]

10 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

and use a spray bottle.

Not easy to find a good spray bottle. I use vinegar and water to clean our windows but have went thru many a spray bottle. I see that Baygon has a pump but I doubt if is any good for more than 10 pumps.

As for those wood borers, there are more than one kind, termites being one but not in this case of JGF. We had someone paint this tarry like substance on the insides of the cabinets that helped about 80%. those borers will destroy the wood completely until one end of the bar will meet the other.

[Dave Hounddriver]

20 minutes ago, jpbago said:

Not easy to find a good spray bottle. I use vinegar and water to clean our windows but have went thru many a spray bottle. I see that Baygon has a pump but I doubt if is any good for more than 10 pumps.

As for those wood borers, there are more than one kind, termites being one but not in this case of JGF. We had someone paint this tarry like substance on the insides of the cabinets that helped about 80%. those borers will destroy the wood completely until one end of the bar will meet the other.

All good points.  I have never found a 'great' spray bottle so I buy cheap ones and replace them frequently.  The Baygon pump has metal parts that rust out within, as you say, about 10 uses.  I suspect the tarry substance you mention is Solignum (as another poster mentioned) and I found it great fro prevention but stinky and messy.  As for them bugs destroying the wood completely I totally agree.  Story time:  I had 2 bamboo beds, one for self and one for company.  I treated the one I used myself by using Baygon spray as I posted.  I left the other untreated through sheer laziness.  The untreated one fell apart inside 2 years and the treated one lasted for 6 years and was then sold for about half what I originally paid for it.  I did forget to mention that I also painted the bamboo bed and that may have contributed to its longevity.  My current bamboo bed has been treated the same way.  In the beginning, when I got it from the makers, it had the bugs.  After spraying it and painting it I have had it for 3 years with no bugs or sawdust.

[not so old china hand]

1 hour ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

The holes are so small you can not see the holes when wiping away the sawdust. They must be tiny creatures. 

Perhaps wood-boring beetles rather than termites. Look for the sawdust again after a day or two and then try probing the wood above the dust pile to try and determine the extent of the damage. Termites will often eat the wood away just below the surface leaving a thin skin of apparently solid wood.

[JJReyes]

The wood borers are from eggs laid by insects when the trees were alive. Wood use for housing and business are suppose to be treated to kill the eggs, but the process is expensive and oftentimes the process is skipped. 

My recommendation is to consult professionals and have them do the extermination before re-opening the restaurant. Some of the chemicals sold could be toxic to you, staff and customers. After application the premises have to be thoroughly cleaned.