Do you have a wood pile in your yard? Many people keep wood piles for their fireplaces, fire pits and sometimes, it’s just easier to add to the pile than it is to take the wood to the curb. Our experts recommend storing firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and 5 inches off the ground. #pestprevention
Wood Piles Attract Pests
What kind of pests does your wood pile attract? Termites, carpenter ants, wasps, powder post beetles, earwigs, centipedes, pillbugs, springtails, crickets, wood cockroaches, stink bugs and spiders may all be living in your wood pile. Most of these bugs are short lived in your home. It’s the wood destroying insects that should really worry you! Termites and carpenter ants are the top 2 wood destroying insects on Long Island.
Firewood causes the biggest problems when stored close to your home and when it sits directly on the ground. Wet wood is especially tempting to termites and carpenter ants. When homeowners find that their wood is infested with these wood destroying ants, it is best to get rid of the wood. You might also notice small piles of sawdust on or near the woodpile, which also signals insect activity.
You should bring firewood inside your house only when needed. It takes just a couple of days for insects to become active.
Don’t even think about spraying your wood with insecticide! You can’t control the insects this way and burning treated wood is a real health hazard.
I know – your deck is wood, too! Hopefully, you routinely refinish your deck and you’ve used pretreated deck materials.
Suburban Exterminating is always happy to help you to get rid of pests in and around your home. Call today (631) 864-6900 |(516) 864-6900