How to Protect Your Home from Firewood Pests

How To Keep Firewood Bugs From Getting Cozy In Your Home

In the fall and winter, there’s nothing we like better than settling down by the fireplace to stay warm. Unfortunately, bringing firewood into your home can mean introducing a variety of new pests into the protected and warm environment of your living room.

These winter pest control tips will stop this scenario before it happens and keep your home bug-free when the temperatures drop! Read on to learn which firewood pests to worry about, how to identify the warning signs of a pest infestation, and everything you need to know about termite control and treatment. 

Types of Firewood Bug to Look Out For

We’ve identified several species of insects that are likely to hitch a ride into your home on (or in) your firewood. Many of them thrive in similar conditions, which means that you can take a few simple steps and prevent a whole handful of winter pest species.

1. Beetles
Many insects are attracted to moist or damp firewood, including large “click” beetles. Beetles lay eggs in firewood, which can sit dormant for two whole years before a beetle emerges. Ambrosia beetles and bark beetles are attracted to fresh firewood, but stay for a long time.

2. Termites
Termites will only invade your firewood if it’s moist and also touching the ground because they need to have direct access to their underground tunnels. This is where proper firewood storage comes in handy.

3. Carpenter Ants
There are many insects that find the space between the bark and the wood to be a particularly habitable spot, even in the winter. You may find ants among other pests on this list napping in this part of your firewood. 

4. Wasps and bees
Even if firewood is dry, it can seem like a welcoming environment to many winter pests. Consider horntail wasps and carpenter bees -- they’re happy to lay their eggs in your dry firewood. 

Warning Signs of Termites in Your Firewood

It’s very important to inspect your firewood before you bring it into your home to prevent termites and other wood-loving pests from invading your home. Here’s are some steps you can take to inspect your firewood for termites and other pests:

• Check for holes in the wood or tunnels around the outsides of the logs. If the tunnels are covered in sawdust, you likely have a wood-boring beetle issue. If there are trails of mud around the outside of logs, you’ve most certainly got a termite issue on your hands.
• Tap the wood. If it sounds hollow, that’s a sign that termites have gotten into the wood.
• Inspect the outside for spots, stripes, or warped wood.
• Listen for clicking sounds or any other indicators of something living inside the wood. 

If you detect these warning signs on your firewood, don’t bring it inside! You’ll be introducing pests into your home. Instead, dispose of the wood.

Firewood Storage Ideas to Prevent Pests

There are several preventative steps that you can take to make sure that insects aren’t living in your firewood in the first place. If you’re buying firewood that’s not completely dry, or cutting your own, you need to make sure that it’s dry before going into long-term storage. Here are some firewood storage ideas that don’t create a welcome habitat for beetles, wasps, termites, and other firewood bugs.

1. Store your firewood off the ground using concrete blocks, plastic pallets, bricks, or other non-wood materials. 
2. Make sure that your firewood is stacked away from the side of your home. If you have to stack it close, place it at least three feet away from the walls. If the wood is in contact with the walls, insects can bore straight from the firewood into the sides of your house. 
3. For firewood storage outdoors, keep the stacks away from trees, as any possible winter pests can infest the tree and cause irreparable damage. 
4. Never stack your firewood inside, and make sure that you burn it as soon as you bring it into your warm home.
5. Keep your firewood dry and you’ll be able to turn away quite a few pests. However, remember to continue checking your firewood regularly as not all pests prefer moist wood. 

When you collect wood to bring indoors, always inspect the individual logs, and wipe off any insects or dirt that you see on the surface.

Seeing Some Firewood Bugs?

Following this guide and continuing home pest control year-round will keep you as safe as possible from firewood bugs when it gets chilly outside. But what should you do if you still see some creepy crawlies wandering around your home? Easy: just call Home Pest Control! Our pest control experts can properly evaluate your pest infestation and take care of the problem immediately. Check out our affordable pest control packages here, or if you need to schedule service contact us today!

And in the meantime, download our "Home Winterization Checklist" for everything you need to know about taking care of your home in the winter.