Bugs in your Firewood

If your house has the correct conditions for an insect infestation, firewood could be the source of damaging insects.  According to the U.S. Fire Administration, more than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes.  If you’re household stores wood for burning, keep in mind that firewood stored too close to your home invites in wood-boring pests.  There are four main groups of insects that can damage wood:  bark beetles, ambrosia beetles, woodborers and woodwasps. (“horntails”)

Beetles or wasps that emerge from firewood can, and frequently do, seek out nearby living trees to lay their eggs. This can not only damage the trees, but is one of the ways that invasive insect pests reach new areas.

Carpenter ants, termites, sowbugs, millipedes and centipedes can also be found in wood piles.  Although all of the pests mentioned can be found in your wood pile, they are different insects that require different control measures.  If you find any these insects invading your home, contact Safeway Pest Management for professional advice on how to rid them safely.

More tips to heat your home free of invading pests: 

• Store firewood at least 3 feet from a structure.
• Use Concrete blocks, bricks, or grates to keep the wood from directly contacting the ground.
• Firewood should be covered to keep out moisture.
• Do not pile wood next to or near living trees & never stack firewood indoors.
• Use oldest wood first, to avoid infestations to build up.
• Use only local firewood to prevent populating non-native insects.
• Before bringing wood into the house to use in a fire, inspect each log & burn immediately.

*Written by Leaning Tree Marketing, on behalf of Safeway Pest Management.