brady Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Long time reader, first time poster I recently bought some cedar fencing lumber to fix some sections of my fence. I ended with two leftover 2x4s so I decided to do a 2x4 challenge with them. I cut and milled some of the parts last night and when I came back to the shop today I noticed a small (1/8" long) black beetle crawling across some of the cedar on my workbench. On closer inspection I noticed a couple of misshapen holes on some of the surfaces that appeared to be filled with wood dust. I scraped out some of the dust with a knife and placed the beetle next to it and took the attached photos. I inspected the rest of the pieces and didn't notice any small round holes, or any other beetles or larvae. Any ideas what it might be? Do I need to burn it all? Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 If it's just for fencing, spray the crap out of it or be prepared for a dust bowl. I don't think I would bring any inside. Burning might be a little harsh step to take. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady Posted June 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Thankfully I didn't use any other 2x4s to patch the fence. I bought them just in case I needed them with the intent of returning them, but of course I lost the receipt. So I was going to make a little corner table for a plant. I'm thinking of just burning it if there's any doubt about what it might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I think you might be over reacting a little bit. If the two are related and you've only found 1 beetle it's nothing some good pesticide can't resolve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brady Posted June 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I think you might be over reacting a little bit. If the two are related and you've only found 1 beetle it's nothing some good pesticide can't resolve. That's good to know. I wasn't quite sure how serious these small problems can become. Thanks for the re-assurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Looks more like a carpenter bee to me. Don't know if you have them in your neck of the woods, but here in Alabama they love to bore holes in unfinished boards. It doesn't take them long either. They look like large bumble bees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Carpenter bees always leave a perfectly round hole. They also look nothing like the beetle shown. It is hard to tell from the picture but they are almost certainly powder post beetles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I had some boring bugs in some oak that I milled up a couple years ago. A few drops of acetone in each of he holes; problem solved :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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