Firewood and bugs!

[sisterpine]

Well I'll be darned. I got a nice expensive delivery of pecan firewood complete with banded ash borers! I looked them up, they do not bite, they do not infest finished wood...they just crawl on the floor and freak us all out. Now I have two cords of said wood that was soaked during the recent big rain storm. It is now in the sun drying with a tarp near by should any more rain appear. The wood that I bring into the house in small amounts is shedding these little buggers and I am wondering if there is anything I can spray on the wood either before or after it drys that will kill the bugs and not kill the chickens/guineas/peafowl....Or would I be wiser to just let the bugs run around loose outside hoping the birds will eat them before I bring them into the house? TIA, sis

[JoePa]

Keep the wood outside until you are ready to throw it into the fire - otherwise if you store it in the house you could get bugs running all over the place - usually if it is cold enough they will stay in the wood -

I keep my firewood on the outside cellar steps where it is cold - when I need wood I take it from there and put it into the stove - if there are any bugs in the wood they get burned up -

[michiganfarmer]

I agree with letting the wood stay outside untill you put it in the furnace or stove. I cant think of any spray for killing bugs that I would want my birds to get into.

[osbmail]

Always wonder if vegetable oil would the keep the bugs down some.Spray some on the oil might help.