Termites are a menace and a massive threat to your winter firewood stock.
Hence, proper firewood storage is imperative in ensuring you get value for the money spent on buying the firewood.
Check out this guide on how to store firewood to avoid termites.
How to Store Firewood to Avoid Termites
Firewood log pile with an axe and splitting maul.
Termites are tiny insects that live in the soil and feed on wood. There are several ways in which you can avoid termites destroying your firewood.
We’ll explore the four main ways to keep the termites at bay:
Disconnect the firewood stand from the ground
A Stack of firewood.
The ground (dirt) is the habitat of termites. Therefore, keeping the firewood on the ground makes it prone to destruction by insects. Also, the soil has moisture and bacteria that cause the wood to rot.
Therefore, to prevent this, make a stand higher than the ground with asphalt, concrete, or clean gravel to separate the stack of wood and the soil. Also, spreading a tarp below the pile of firewood can help.
Keep the firewood Pile dry at all times.
A simple firewood shed.
See to it that the firewood pile is always dry. Remember, moisture speeds up rotting in wood. Additionally, rotting wood attracts termites.
Also interestingly, there’s a type of termite called the damp wood termite that nests in a moist pile of firewood. Therefore, building a shed over the pile is advisable to avoid moisture getting to the firewood.
Also, cover the firewood with a plastic cover on rainy days.
Keep the yard clean
A Clean firewood yard.
Clean up any decaying material wood and mulch around the storage area. Additionally, fill up any water puddles and marshy areas in your yard.
These are conditions that make it habitable for the termites to thrive.
Hence, inspect if there are any mud hills around your yard. If present, it means that there are already termites in your yard.
But this shouldn’t worry you much as you can rid them by applying termite spray on the hills.
Use termite granules around firewood.
Termites Control.
Spread some termite granules around the ground next to the firewood pile. The granules act as a barrier against termites.
Also, to ensure the maximum efficiency of the granules, sprinkle some water on them.
The termite granules seep into the ground, killing any underground termites.
How To Treat Termites In Firewood
What do you do if you already have a termites infestation on your firewood? Below are some ways to get rid of termites already attacking the wood.
Dispose Of The Termites-Infested Firewood Logs
- Burn It
You should burn termite-infested wood.
Separate the infected pieces of the log from the other logs. Importantly, burn them away from your home. It prevents the termites from escaping back into the house while avoiding the heat.
- Involve Pest Control Services
A pest control worker.
If more than half your pile has a pest infestation, bringing in experts is essential. They know how to save your wood pile without losing your winter stock.
Chemical Treatment
- Scatter Diatomaceous Earth On The Firewood Log Pile
Food grade diatomaceous earth supplement.
Pour a lot of diatomaceous earth into the firewood pile, as it is an effective termite killer. The chemical works by drying up the body of the termite. In turn, the lack of moisture causes the termites’ skeleton to break, leading to death.
- Sprinkle Boric Acid
Boric Acid.
Boric acid has the exact mechanism of operation as the diatomaceous earth. Therefore, spread some on the firewood and the ground around the firewood stack.
Dry The Firewood
Big stacks of firewood for wintertime.
Ensure your firewood has direct contact with sunlight. It helps the firewood to stay dry and wards off termites since they prefer dark areas.
Also, stack your firewood with spaces in between the logs. It keeps your firewood well-aerated, hastening the drying process.
Conclusion
Having termites attack our firewood winter stock is something we all dread. But in this article, we’ve highlighted how to keep those termites at bay.
Contact us for more on how to stop termites from invading your home.