As winter is arriving early to much of the country, many of you are likely keeping yourselves warm by throwing some logs into your fireplace, watching them burn and adding some Christmas spirit to your home as the holidays near.
However, you may be concurrently bringing in several insects that have made themselves at home in those logs. This is because wood attracts pests such as ants, beetles, bees, centipedes, termites and wasps. Incredibly, beetle larvae that is left in wood can sometimes emerge as adults two years later.
Fortunately, simply storing your firewood outside until it is ready to be used should prevent these insects from jumping from the blocks of wood and impacting the structure of your home or the quality of your life.
Of course, if you do store your wood outside, make sure to not lean it against the house. Termites are among the most likely insects to make the easy journey from a block of wood resting against the house to the home itself and cause damage there. One other concern that should be considered when storing wood outside is that beetles living there may move from the blocks of wood to trees in your yard.
If you do decide to store the firewood inside, avoid doing so in damp places such as basements or garages.
Some other things you can do to lessen the chances of insects being in the wood include cutting it in the winter months and storing it away from the ground. Also make sure to use your oldest blocks of wood before you toss newer pieces into your fireplace.
However, if you discover insects in your wood anyway, make sure to contact a professional pest control company to take care of the situation and prevent it from worsening or spreading to the rest of your home.
