An FYI - something that happened to us - Powder Beetle....

I had something happen to me recently and I thought I would share this with you all so you would have a heads up too. This is from "me" and not some chain email or anything. I am not sure how to write this but I will go ahead and give it a go....

We purchased a bran new "dinning room" set back in November. It was a gift to ourselves for Christmas and I had been wanting this set for almost a year. It had the modern look and I posted photo's of it and everything because I was so excited. Well everything was going well until a few weeks ago. I started noticing a creamy-coloured type powder on our black vinyl chairs - at the time I honestly didn't think much of it - it reminded me of cereal powder and I assumed it was the girls who were spilling the cereal box or whatever. This started going on day after day....it was strange - I starting thinking maybe this was something more however I didn't look into it....again just thinking it was the kids making a mess.

Moving on to last night. Our kids spent the night at a friends house last night so we had no kids home. DH cleaned the chairs up last night and we still didn't think anything of it. DH wakes up this morning - pulls out the chairs and they have piles of this powder again?!?!?!?! He knows something is wrong now since the kids weren't even home. Of course he pulls out the good old flashlight and heads under the table. He notices holes under the table - like some type of burrowing insect and the powder is coming from these holes!!!!! He said termites right away - I freaked out! Anyhow I called 3 different pest control places and each place said it was the Powder-Point Beetle right off the bat!!!! These things live in the wood and will eat it all from the inside out. They said they could "try" to treat it but we were best off getting rid of the table.

Okay at this point I am FUMING MAD! Because for one, I am thinking this table isn't even a year old!!! And secondly I didn't know if the furniture place we purchased this from would replace our table since these beetles obviously came into our home through their **bleepin'* furniture!!! Of course I called the furniture place and to make a long story short they told us they would replace the whole set with the same style we already had or we could go back to the store and pick something else out - which is what we did. I just felt too creeped out in getting the same style. We got something from a different collection that looks very similar to what we had. I asked them where this furniture was made and they of course said all their stuff comes from overseas....So I flat out said oh great so you bring this furniture over and it could be infested with all kinds of things and then you bring it to our country??? Anyhow I told them this had BETTER not happen again otherwise I would expect my money back and I would buy something CANADIAN MADE. I did give them the benefit of the doubt but I was so stressed over this whole ordeal - I am not kidding you. I am still flipping mad over it. I am just worried that these wood burrowing beetles could have gotten into something else of ours ya know.....the pest control people said likely not since they are enjoying the wood they are in now. So I will take their word for it and keep an eye out.

Like I said this whole thing just gives me the willies and I can't believe this happened to us. I have NEVER had anything like that happen before and I have already told several other's who have never seen anything like this either.... Just thought I would share in case something similar happens to someone else - I know a lot of furniture does come from overseas so you never really know what could be lurking in it.....

It the meantime we got that whole set out of the house immediately. DH inspected it more outside and he did find several bugs as he tried burrowing into their holes - talk about gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there you have it - an FYI from your friend Dawn

I included a few links on the Powder Beetle - it explains things probably a lot better than I do...

http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/powder ... eetles.htm

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/powderpostbeetles.htm

This message was edited Jul 24, 2008 11:09 PM

Dawn - thanks for the information. That is so freaky but I'm glad you got the furniture replaced without too much problem. Good luck with your new dining room set. Eleanor

Oh Dawn! I am so sorry this happened to you . . . I remember when you posted pictures of your dining room. It really was a beautiful table.

Thank goodness your husband had the good sense to look under the table.

My brother once bought a camera (before digital cameras). Made in the Orient, it came complete with insect eggs - which were starting to hatch! He noticed it the first time he took the lens cap off and tried to take a picture . . . needless to say, the camera was replaced immediately. This was also in Canada - I wonder if Canadian ports are lax about this sort of thing . . . I can't imagine why, since forestry and forestry products are a large export item for the country . . . . you would think there would be extra caution regarding the unintended importation of insects and plants.

My husband works in a lumber mill. I can see why they dont notice them as the timbers roll and roll fast for production cost. After the log comes in and is debarked, cut into kants (long square post) and then cut into boards, they go to the kiln. How do these things withstand that amount of heat for DAYS!

Dawn after reading the article its a good thing you and husband caught it. Good work!

Yeah . . . you would think the heat would kill the bugs and the eggs. . . .

I am going to ask my husband "IF" he is aware of these things. He has been in the woods since he was 6 years old.

He has heard of them. He said " The manufacturer would be able to see and tell if they were in the wood more than the loggers or the lumber mills. They are more up close to the wood working with it".

SAME THING HERE
I had a craftsman make a side table for me.
Delivered it in March, late April I saw dust on the floor under the table,I dusted ,it was there the next day.
He took the table back and used SEVIN in a hypodermic needle, finally got the "wood worm" to emerge long enough to drag it out and kill it. Returned the table and a week later more dust.
Furniture makers ,no mater where the goods are made, can't tell if there are pests in the wood, doubt x-ray would show. My father and I colaborated on a "pottery and wood" lamps and jars, he turned the American hardwoods into lamp necks and jar lids, we always wondered if we were going to have pieces returned due to worm holes, no one ever did but when dad was 80 and knew he couldn't safely use the lathe he turned a hunderd lids for me and in a year they had all been drilled thru by the beetle, couldn't use any of them,I didn't tell him.
The top of this table was made from a slab of Oak 2 inches thick ,dates back to the Civil War.
Craftsman still has the table, I hope he just decides to replace the top, cause I think there is a colony of beetles living in there.
Glad you were able to resolve the table exchange .

Thanks for posting this thread.


This message was edited Jul 25, 2008 7:39 AM

Well I am glad you folks found this informative. I have since calmed down a bit since yesterday. The thing Iearned too which some of you mentioned already - these beetles can be in the wood and you wouldn't even know it.....until they start to become active and you see the signs. I just find that pretty scary with furniture coming into our homes. I mean these beetles could move on to other things like other pieces of furniture or even your house! Now that would be really destructive. Even the wood being used to build your home could have them and you don't know it until after the damage has started...ugh!

Like I said the whole situation just really got to me. Thinking I was eating on my lovely table all those months and I had beetles eating along with me right in my table!!!! LOL!!!

I wonder if thats how all the destructive bugs we have came into the country like that.
This is why there are plant restrictions from state to state and country to country.

Pretty gross story! I would be really angry as well and would contact the top people. What's the bottom line, Dawn?

The top people probably want to know their inventory from Country X is contaminated with beetles.
Dawns table probably isn't the only return.

ICK!!!

that's terrible... glad they replaced it for you

Wow. thanks for sharing. Good to know this exists/happens and what to watch for. And I'm glad they're replacing your table with no argument.

Yeah, you should at least be able to specify the bug...

This is exactly the way that many of the tree destroying pests like Dutch Elm Disease have entered the country. Emerald Ash borer is one of the latest imports.

Oh my goodness Dawn! I would of been so mad too, but im glad you got a new set and hopefully nothing chews this one!!

That creeps me out..now I don't want a new bedroom set!!!! LOL

This message was edited Jul 30, 2008 7:58 AM

One of the reasons we had to tear down the old farmhouse(built in 1840) was because it was infested with the post-powder beatles-the house was no longer structurally sound. When it was taken down my BIL couldn't believe how easy it came down(he was running the excavator). It pretty much crumbled. They are very destructive.

Wow - how terrible. I never hear of destructive bugs from the US wreaking havoc on other countries. Seems only fair...

Why WOULDN'T it be expeediate for other countries to keep it hush.
I believe it's important to let furniture stores know when there is a problem.
Manufacturers need to know also,they can find the place of origin for the wood and let the loggers know or treat lumber befor it's sent to manufacturers.
The custom furniture builders I have known seem to be able to judge lumber by holding it and looking at it, don't know how they do it.Maybe they are looking for something else other than beetle infestation.
kreeps me out

With all this importing of kids toys, food, furniture etc. it is essential to get country of origin for ingredients and parts, not just where things are made and shipped from on labels. Safety is top priority or should be, not to mention introducing new bugs or bacteria etc. to the country. More precautions should be taken into consideration, not just the bottom line.

Youve started my favorite sermonette.
CHINA the biggest flauter of standards and quality.
I can't go on.

How about buying furniture from the Amish? One year at the BIG E they had a stand set up-what beautiful workmanship!

What about antique furniture. It seems like it never leaves us.

There are problems with Antiques too.
The "worm holes" are a sales feature in many pieces.
I have a piesafe that's riddled with them and mouse knawings too.
I don't mind it.
I guess if the antique was a $10,000.00 table with holes in the middle of the top they wouldn't offer it for sale, or anyother piece where the holes are an eye sore.

Joanne I dont want to step on you here. The worm holes are not powder beetles. They are a borer type that happens when the wood is not sawed or being processed in time. The wood sits and sits and whamo it gets holes. It can also get blueish/greyish streaks. At that time the wood becomes cheaper. Also the person working with the wood can see those holes, I know as I have done it with pine boards years ago.

My husband is a woody fanatic. This wood was cheaper as it has some blue streaks. We built this 4 years ago. I dont mind the streaks as you can hardly see them.

Beautiful!

I didn't know there was a difference,thanks for the enlightenment.
Nice paneling by the way.

Ahh shucks thanks Victor.

Me and my pool table - Played pool all my life. I was on the Womans Proffessional Tournament Association in the 80's. Went around and played tourneys in local bars in FL. Moved back to NH. 1994 I said I have had it. I bought this table for 5 grand. Tourney size and has a 3/4" slate, most tables have a 1/2" slate. Moved to this place in 2004 and there was no place for the table. Had the construction guys come in and was going to add on to the house but I said "no". We built the 2 story garage. Did all the work ourself except erecting the shell.

Thats my room. Anyone that wants to come and play 2 out of 3 games, bring it on.

I am impressed.
Your talent isn't only in the garden.
Jo Ann

Love that room! It's gorgeous. The wood just gives it that warm cozy feeling. Wanna play some eightball?
If my DS ever moves out(yah, right!), we want to put a pool table in.

Sue☺

Nice! Sherrie.

K- back to the powder beetle. Just now talking to loggers here from NH including my husband. They have never heard of the powder beetle.

They said: They cut the logs into boards and it gets shipped over seas in the big shipping containers. I asked how do you know that? They said: Even though it went through the dry kiln for days, the boards gets put into the shipping containers and shipped. One container that had dried boards ripped into flames and blew up. Even though boards were dried it had spontaneous combustion.

My next question is going to be. OK we ship boards to China, the boards blow up into flames. Why don't we hear about this on the news? Why does the boards go to China and then come back to the US and sold? Why isnt the furniture or what ever made here? The overseas sweat shops? I am going to get my rump kicked here if I keep asking questions. Right is right period.

Don't get me started!!!!

Everyone here wants $15.00 an hour and health benefits.
Chinese labour makes $15.00 a week.(hypothetical wages,but the difference in scale is just to keep things simple)
If we made furniture here it would be sooooo expensive not many would buy it.
Check the price of Stickley furn.? It's made in New York State, also Ethan Allen Furniture.?
Much as it hurts to see some jobs go over seas, labour there is cheaper.

I recommend a change of subject. We know how this usually ends up!

Right On Victor!!!

Just don't want anyone getting called to the principal's office.

Or the gestapo