How to get rid of a bark beetle in a wooden house

The bark beetle is an insect belonging to the beetle family, to put it simply - a bug. In itself, it is very small, many will not even pay attention, not realizing how much harm such a "bug" can cause. After all, it is this - the main parasite, devouring wood. Because of the activity of one of the species, the bark beetle-typographer, large hectares of ancient coniferous forests were killed in the Moscow Region. Moreover, this pest does not shun and dead wood, wasting walls of houses and outbuildings.

Do you know this attack? Well, sure that you are far from the only person who faced her. Therefore, we will learn to exterminate the problem at the very root (otherwise it will be too late later).

A little bit about the bark beetle: know the enemy in the face

So, the bark beetle is a rather small bug, the body of which practically never exceeds 1 cm.The color is usually inconspicuous brown or black, but in some species it is brighter. By the way, bark beetles are very close relatives of another group of beetles pests - weevils.

There is one more interesting feature concerning the eating behavior of the parasite. In European territories, these beetles are much less likely to attack deciduous trees. In our country, they prefer coniferous trees. Most often - spruce and pine, less often - larch. But this does not mean that if a house, for example, from a birch, it automatically falls out of sight of the pest. It will simply not be eaten as fast as pine.

Any species of bark beetles are dangerous for living wood: those that feed on stem mass, those who devour only roots, and those who prefer needles. But for the home, only the first option is scary. Moreover, not only adult beetles will live in the walls, but also their larvae. And since practically the entire life of these insects passes in the thick of wood, where they feed, and build extensive passages, very soon the house will simply be shed from the inside.

The first signs: recognize the penetration of the enemy

In order to start the fight and carry it out as efficiently as possible, it is necessary to detect the pest at the very beginning of its activity. By themselves, these bugs are very secretive and inconspicuous, you can not pay attention to them. Therefore, it is best to look not for the individuals themselves, but for traces of their parasitic activity.

1. The first thing that should be alerted is the appearance on the floor, especially near the skirting boards of the so-called “drilling flour”. It is a dry, powdered mass that remains as a result of the vital activity of both adult insects and their larvae. It consists of small heaps at the entrance openings through which bark beetles penetrate the wood, as well as plaque on the floor and walls. If you see such an alarming symptom, carefully inspect the building. It is possible that the moves themselves will be revealed.
2. Pay attention to the living trees growing near the house. If a bark beetle lives in them, then it can be easily found by otkovyrnuv piece of bark. Under it, you will see wide voids - the nesting places of the pest, as well as the long narrow passages that it makes while feeding. And, by the way, the same characteristic yellow dust can cover the ground on which the affected trees grow. Inspect your site, do you have it?
3. Listen to the rustling in the house.Beetles lead a secretive lifestyle, and during the day they are almost not heard. Another thing is the night. Bark beetles make turns in the wood and sharpen it, so you can always hear the characteristic noise.

If, however, the parasite is wound up, to cope with it is very, very difficult. Often, even complex efforts do not give the desired result, and we have to give up in this struggle. Prevention is best here, and that's what you need to know about it.

Better to warn than to “cure” the house

If you are buying a finished house, be careful in your choice and do not acquire a structure already affected by the pest. Inspect the walls, pay attention to the surface of the wood. Yellow dust, small, sometimes barely noticeable holes, passages under the bark - all these are very bad signs.

Choosing material for building your own home from scratch, also approach the task with special care. Here is what's important to know:

1. The wetter the wood, the higher the likelihood that a bark beetle will start there. The fact is that the beetle eats practically only juices, and it simply spits out the solid matter (it then becomes the same drilling dust).So the drier the raw material, the less likely it is to be damaged.
2. If you take wood with bark, the risk increases: on its surface it is very difficult to see the traces of the misfortune. Therefore, look at the ends: there should be nothing at all that looks like rottenness! And even more so, no grooves and grooves.

In addition, even a new house needs to be processed in order to minimize the possibility of the appearance of the bark beetle. For this, special solutions are usually used.

Processing your home: struggling with disaster

And yet, even prevention is not able to 100% destroy the infection. Beetles can come, and then with them you need to start a real war. Otherwise the house will be completely shed. What should be the measures:

1. The most radical method is to completely cut or even cut down the affected areas. Use only mechanical tools, because electric (like a grinding machine) raises a strong vibration, spreading the eggs of beetles throughout the room. All garbage, dust, sawdust must be burned.
2. Thoroughly clean all wall surfaces. A caulking iron - pull out and destroy. The task of cleaning the walls perfectly cope ordinary vacuum cleaner.

And then you need to process the wood. And here there are already several options:

1. The simplest is boiling water. But it should be used only if the appearance of the wall does not matter. Brew cool boiling water and scald them all over the affected surface, trying to get into the turns. You can use linseed oil, too hot, but again, if the interior is not important.
2. On sale there are many special solutions designed specifically for the eradication of the bark beetle in the house. Use them. But here, too, there is a nuance: usually, 2 treatments are needed for this treatment, one of which is antiseptic, and the other is a flame retardant (flame retardant). They are put necessarily separate layers, leaving to dry everyone within a day.
3. A mixture of turpentine and kerosene is an excellent destroyer of both adult insects, and larvae and eggs. It was used by our ancestors. We mix in a ratio of 3: 1 (turpentine and kerosene, respectively) and inject the “treat” with the syringe directly into the buggy passages.

After sanitization, it is necessary to solve another problem - to clog the pest all the moves and exits. For this, sealants are used. For external lesions, suitable ones made on the basis of silicone, and for internal lesions - acrylic.

Remember that when purchasing or building a wooden house yourself, you must be ready to carefully monitor it and look after it during your stay. A one-time measure will not decide anything. Bark beetle may return. Therefore, do not be irresponsible to prevention, inspect the walls and promptly react to any alarming symptom. We wish you enjoy a healthy and safe life in a wooden house as long as possible!

Video: how to destroy the bark beetle