Buggie Things!

I have an old barn at the farm -- its attached to my block building shop and it has a foot print that of about a small two car garage. But its two stories and handy to put things - I have my air compressors in there so I don't have to listen to them in the shop --

Well I have been noticing an odd dust in corners for the past maybe 5 years but never paid much attention

Today I was hunting something I knew I had stored in that building and It occurred to me that there was little piles of dust on everything

So I put on my glasses and above all these little piles there are little holes in the wood -- sort of looks like 22 cal bird shot in the wood.

Its not much of a building - I suppose it should be torn down - I am more wondering if the buggie things will migrate into the wood roof over the attached buildings. Suppose Ill have to call an exterminator this summer.

RATS!

Little holes are powder post beetles, bigger holes could be borer bees. An exterminator once told me if you have powder post beetles coat all the wood with Thompson's Water Seal, locks the little buggers in the hole and keeps the new ones out.

Thats good news

Now - I need to find that stuff in BULK! I wonder if there would be some other concoction -- like a white wash to spary on the whole business. __ OMG this is going to be a mess.

Power post Beetles was my first guess too

Ill do some Googeling tonight

I have powder post beetle damage in the barn and the old timbers in the house.
Could be worse:

The Thompsons will spray It'd be a lot cheaper then an exterminator

I used 5 gallons of Thompson's on my deck when it ws new. It keeps out the Carpenter bees too!. The only critters that don't seem to mind it are that bats, but they don't eat into it.