Thread: borers in camphor laurel

Hi Marion,

Those boards sound like a Camphor Lover's paradise!

Shame about the borers though. I've never used borer fluid, but if it kills borers that's gotta be good. Does it need repeated applications to kill any new hatchings? or does it kill the eggs too?

I'd say you've got two options, 1 is to treat, and 2 is to cut off the sapwood.

I ended up cutting away some of the sapwood on my 40 slabs of CL when they arrived, some where too full of borers for my personal liking.

good luck getting rid of the little blighters.

cheers
Wendy

Indeed, as Ruffly says, cut off the affected bits and toast them thoroughly in your wood stove, if you have one. They will attack the heartwood eventually, I've found, though they prefer to stay in the sap until hunger pangs drive them into the less attractive (to them) stuff. It's hard to treat borers successfully - anything that is potent enough to get at them deep in the wood is not nice to handle. I have had some success putting smaller bits in black plastic garbage bags with "Shelltox" type strips, sealing the bags well, and leaving them out in the sun for a couple of weeks. The heat probably does as much to clobber them as the chemicals - you only need about 60 deg. for an hour or two, from what I've read. Probably be at least that in a black plastic bag in full sun on a good day round these parts.....

The critters in the Camphor probably won't go for your pine - there is a specific Hoop Pine borer that does a number on Hoop, especially if the underside is dark and accesible to the adults. If your place is old, chances are the pine will be Hoop, and already has a few unwelcome guests!

The Camphor borers are an erratic lot - they seem to riddle some pieces and yet leave others alone. Getting the ends sealed asap after cutting helps to keep them at bay.

Cheers,

things are a lil crazy round here at present with moving and doing the conveyancing, I haven't bought the borer fluid as yet, just found out about it on the CSIRO website, I think I will use it and plastic after cutting sapwood off, time to use the timber has come, no built ins or melamine for the glorious old lady we are purchasing tomorrow!!!! woohoo

The only borer problems we have had is in older pieces of furniture and then mainly soft wood. We used a Rentokil product that has since been banned but was very effective. It was applied liberally with a brush and syringe, brushing all over then shoving a little into any available hole. On the area you have the suggestions of cutting off the heart wood, and wrapping in plastic along with the killer sound more practical with a greater chance of killing a larger infestation.

John.

yes, cut em out, chemicals can be effective i guess but u still gotta look out for em...little buggers..but who wnats chemicals everywhere when u can just cut and kill....kill