Don't Bring the Firewood Inside (Unless You're Burning It Now)
Bugs coming from your firewood? Learn why storing wood inside wakes up hibernating beetles and ants, and why you should never spray logs.
It's freezing outside. You want a cozy fire. You bring a huge stack of logs inside and pile them next to the fireplace to look nice.
You just invited the forest into your living room.
The "Wake Up" Effect
Wood boring beetles, carpenter ants, and spiders hibernate inside logs during the winter. They are asleep.
When you bring that log into your 70-degree living room, they think it's spring. They wake up. They crawl out. And suddenly you have a Longhorned Beetle flying around your TV.
The Golden Rule: Burn It Fast
Never store firewood indoors for more than 24 hours.
Keep the pile outside, at least 20 feet from the house (so termites don't tunnel from the pile to your siding). Bring in only what you plan to burn tonight.
Don't Spray It!
Never spray bug killer on your firewood.
When you burn that wood later, you are burning chemicals. You will fill your house with toxic pesticide smoke. If you see a bug on a log, just flick it into the fire. Problem solved.