How to Kill Bugs in Wood

Pest wood damage

Numerous types of bugs burrow or crawl into wood. Termites, wood borers, powderpost beetles, carpenter ants and bark beetles are common wood pests. Generally, the first indication that bugs have infested wood is noticeable piles of sawdust near wood. These bugs can damage furniture, flooring, home structure and walls. Oftentimes, homeowners can bring in pests from the outdoors when they bring in infested firewood from the yard. It is essential to kill the bugs that are damaging your wood before they spread to other areas of your house and cause costly damage.

Things You'll Need

• Fly swatter
• Paper plate
• Hammer
• Pesticides
• Drill
• Mask
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Examine the home to find where the bugs have infested the wood. Look for sawdust piles, holes in wood, rotted-looking wood and swarming pests near areas that produce heat such as water heaters.

2. Kill one of the bugs with a fly swatter to help in identification. Oftentimes, homeowners will confuse flying ants for termites. Set the dead bug on a paper plate. Termites have wings that are twice the size of its body and broad waists. Ants characteristically have narrow waists and small wings. Powderpost beetles look very much like cockroaches. They are typically 1/4 inch in length and deposit their eggs on untreated wood.

3. Remove infested furniture from the room and place in a non-wooded area such as a garage. Take out any damaged floor boards by removing nails with the claw of a hammer. Replace floorboards with treated boards. Powderpost beetles are more attracted to unfinished wood than painted wood.

4. Apply a pesticide with borate to kill powderpost beetles. Use an insecticide that has fipronil as an active ingredient to kill termites. Spray these chemicals in their holes or or tunnels to kill developing larvae.

5. Drill holes into infested wood when killing carpenter ants. Use a spray that contains permethrin. Reapply the spray as indicated on the label.

Tips & Warnings

• Call a professional exterminator if you are unsure what type of bug is infesting your wood. Using the right chemicals to disrupt the nervous system of bugs is critical for pest removal.

• Wear a mask and gloves when applying any pesticides in the home.

References

• University of California: Firewood and House Log Insects
• University of California: Drywood Termite Management Guidelines
• Termite: Building Protection
• This Old House: Common Signs of Termites

Resources

• University of Kentucky: Powderpost Beetles