I am finding new 1/4″ holes in Cedar shake siding and I’m wondering what sort of critter makes such a (relatively) large hole and what are the possible treatments?
We’ve been prepping and painting the neglected exterior of our fixer upper here in Western Washington and filling the occasional hole left by, I thought, long departed wood insects of some kind. However I now see at least one fresh hole in a newly painted area and realize we have an ongoing problem. What to do?
Thanks for any advice!
Bob in Poulsbo, WA
Replies
Have you seen geen metallic looking bugs around? Also pinholes with what looks like sawdust coming out? Are the 1/4' holes slightly oval?
If so, they are called metallic wood borers, they are flat, about 3/8 inch long and 1/4 wide and specifically adore the sapwood of Doug fir, especially if there is any moisture content.
Had these in the big (2 ft dia) fir beams in my house for the first 8 years or so till the wood really had dried out, think they came into the house with firewood.
They lay eggs in the sapwood (your shingles may have been split from sapwood) and the larvae ( a soft white ugly maggot type hammerhead guy about 1/8" dia and 1-1/2"long with a 1/4 wide head) and they eat a 5 or 6 inch channel just under the surface, energing in their metallic hard carcase beetle looking shape
Mine kinda just went away when everything dried out, but also had good success injecting chlorodane via hypodermic needle into the pinholes when I saw them.
If there are quantities of rotten logs nearby your place, that may be the source.
Thanks Junkhound!
Yep, (haven't seen the pinholes though) and yep. Saw a metallic green beetle just the other day on the side of the house and thought hmmm. Also have seen the "hammer-head" critters in old logs which I was gonna use for firewood ('till I got grossed out ). Sounds like I should get rid of all the old wood around here (lots of rotten cedar and fir logs in an old wood pile).
Should I also assume that any hole might contain some eggs or is that now abandoned housing?
I don't know why there would be any moist wood in our house which is 50 years old (why I assumed the holes were old news).
Thanks
Bob