Eradicate wood worms
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Q: Can you recommend something to eradicate wood worms before they transfer to another piece of furniture? The infected piece is a large rectangular table that we made. The homeowner called and I saw the damage. I cannot heat the table to 140 F because the table is so large, so what else can I do?

A: I assume that this is a hardwood table. The only insect that infects very dry hardwoods is the lyctid powder-post beetle. This insect is found only in grainy hardwoods like oak and ash. It prefers wood higher than 8 percent MC; most inside furniture is drier than this. To reproduce and spread to other pieces, you will need a mother and father to meet, for the mother to lay eggs in a grainy hardwood without a finish and for the wood to be wetter than 8 percent MC. This is a rare set of circumstances for most homes and offices.

I am sure that the homeowner will want the existing infestation destroyed, however. I would not give up on heating the table, as that will be the cheapest option. Perhaps you can rent a small trailer and rent a heater that will safely go to 130 F inside the trailer. Your other option is fumigation of the table. However, fumigation is not a do-it-yourself project due to the extremely high risk to human health and to the environment. A licensed, professional pest control company is required. If you do go with fumigation, make sure that you get several bids, as the first bid might be quite a bit higher than the others. Also, do not fumigate the entire home, as the risk of spreading of the insects from one piece of furniture to another is extremely small.

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About the author
Gene Wengert

Gene Wengert, “The Wood Doctor” has been training people in efficient use of wood for 45 years. He is extension specialist emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.