How to Store Firewood to Avoid Termites
The best way to store firewood is to avoid storing it at all. However, if you do need to keep your firewood for an extended period, there are some things that you can do that will help prevent termites from infesting the wood and spreading into your home.
These include stacking the wood off the ground in a dry area with good airflow, covering it with plastic sheeting, not storing treated lumber together with untreated lumber, and avoiding any visible moisture on the wood itself. In these blog posts, we will cover how to store firewood to avoid termites. So read on to know more about this topic!
10 Ways on How to Store Firewood to Avoid Termites:
1. Use a Metal Container:
When it comes to storing firewood, metal containers are the best choice. However, we prefer sheet metal over coils, as it is more durable and doesn’t harbor moisture or provide a home for termites.
2. Use a Pallet:
Place firewood on a pallet. This will keep it off the wet ground and away from moisture while allowing air to move freely around your woodpile while keeping it off the ground. A pallet will also provide support while you build your stack of wood, making it easier to place logs on top of one another.
3. Stack Your Wood off the ground:
Building a 12″ or more woodpile off the ground makes it difficult for termites to access your logs. Just make sure you don’t stack them so high they become unstable.
4. Use Termite-resistant Wood:
Rot resistance is an essential characteristic for wood to be used as firewood. The best choices are pressure-treated pine, cedar, oak, and redwood. These types of wood have natural chemical barriers that keep termites at bay.
You Can Check It Out to Stack Firewood in a Circle
5. Choose Redwood over Cedar:
Redwood has a higher natural chemical resistance than cedar. The natural oils in redwood keep termites away, while the natural fertilizers in cedar make them a better food source.
6. Stack Your Logs Sideways:
Logs stacked sideways are an excellent form of termite protection. They allow air to move quickly through the stack and shed water away from the stack. This allows air to move freely through your woodpile and creates more minor, less dense stacks that termites cannot penetrate.
7. Avoid Moisture:
Moisture is a termite’s best friend. It causes wood to swell and become weaker and easier to eat. Using a dehumidifier during the winter months will reduce the amount of moisture in your garage or storage area, making it harder for termites to access your firewood.
8. Burn Your Firewood Quickly:
Termites use heat as a way to find food. Burning your wood quickly will cause the termites to move on. If you have a large supply of wood, burn a little each day instead of letting it sit for weeks at a time to reduce the number of termites that can get into your firewood.
9. Cover Your Pile:
Covering your woodpile with a tarp or sheet metal will protect your wood and prevent the sun from drying out and cracking it. This prevents bugs and moisture from getting into your firewood and keeps it free of debris and dirt as well.
10. Add Diatomaceous Earth:
Adding diatomaceous earth to your storage area or using it as a cover for your woodpile will provide termites with no hiding place. The sharp particles of DE cut into their bodies and kill them by dehydration.
You Can Check It Out to Stack Firewood in a Circle
Some Tips and Suggestions:
1. termites will attack any sources of wood and moisture (such as the foundation) and may infest your house. Your basement or crawlspace works well for this or a separate shed or storage area away from home.
2. Place a barrier between stacks of split wood and the ground. This can be old landscape timbers, scrap plywood, or anything else that will keep the wood off of bare earth.
3. Keep any firewood you are not using now in a dry place where it won’t get wet and won’t attract termites away from your home. If damp logs are stacked next to your house, the termites will leave your home and go there.
4. Stack firewood at least 18 inches off of the ground and cover it with a tarp if you have some scraps available.
5. If you want to be more involved in preventing termites from infesting your woodpile, consider treating the logs with a fire-resistant chemical.
6. If you live in an area with termites, installing a moisture barrier under the house and keeping the crawlspace well ventilated will help to prevent termite infestation of the woodpile.
Can You Use Firewood That Has Termites?
The short answer to this question is: No. Firewood that has termites should not be used for firewood. Any insects inside the wood will only continue to breed and spread, making the firewood even more dangerous than it already is.
Even if you heat your home with a wood stove or fireplace, you should not use firewood that has termites. Firewood with termites can damage the inside of your home and cause structural damage to the wood and even surrounding walls.
What Do You Do to Prevent Termites in Firewood?
Store firewood off the ground on pallets or hang it high enough so that termites cannot climb into it. You can also cover un-split firewood with a tarp. Remember that termites are drawn to the heat of your house, which is what they need to survive in cold climates.
Stacking your firewood by your home can attract termites into your house, where they will be safe from the cold winter. Many homes that have experienced major damage due to termites have been found with stacks of firewood under or near them that have been infested.
Conclusion:
Keeping your firewood dry is the best way to avoid termites. You can store it in a shady, well-ventilated area or undercover outside your home.
If you cannot store it outdoors because of inclement weather, consider using an insecticide treatment on your woodpile before storage indoors as a precautionary measure against these insects. The article details how to store firewood to avoid termites if you decide not to keep woodpiles outside. With our help, you can stay safe against termites this winter season!
