Bringing Firewood Inside? You Might Be Bringing Pests With It

There’s nothing better on a cold Georgia evening than a wood fire. But the stack of firewood sitting outside your house, and the pieces you bring inside, can be one of the most overlooked pest risks of the season. Firewood is essentially a pile of habitat: dark, moist, sheltered, and full of crevices. Exactly what pests are looking for in December.

What’s Living in Your Firewood

Termites

This is the big one. Subterranean termites forage through soil and wood constantly, and a woodpile sitting on the ground is an attractive food source. When you bring that wood inside, you may be bringing termites with you, and placing them directly next to the wooden structure of your home.

Termite-infested wood can look completely normal from the outside. You won’t necessarily see the termites themselves, but you might notice:

• Wood that feels softer or sounds hollow when tapped
• Mud tubes on the surface of logs (thin, pencil-sized mud lines)
• Small piles of sawdust-like frass

Even if you don’t see signs, bringing firewood directly from an outdoor pile inside the house introduces a risk. Wood that’s been sitting on soil is particularly suspect.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants establish colonies in moist, decaying wood, exactly the kind of wood in an old firewood pile. They don’t eat wood (unlike termites), but they excavate galleries inside it for nesting. A log that looks solid may have a thriving carpenter ant colony inside. Bringing it into the warmth of your home activates them.

Wood-Boring Beetles

Several beetle species (powderpost beetles, longhorn beetles, bark beetles) lay their larvae inside wood. The larvae can spend months or even years inside a log, pupating and finally emerging as adults when the wood warms up. This can happen inside your home months after you brought the wood in.

Spiders

Firewood piles are prime black widow habitat, dark, undisturbed, and near the ground. Always wear gloves when handling firewood, and shake each piece before bringing it inside.

Mice and Insects

Woodpiles provide cover and harborage for mice, centipedes, earwigs, and other pests that will happily relocate into your home when given the opportunity.

How to Store and Use Firewood Safely

Store it away from the house. Keep firewood at least 20 feet from any structure. This is the single most effective measure, it keeps any pests that live in the pile from being adjacent to your foundation.

Keep it elevated. Use a firewood rack that keeps the bottom of the pile at least 6 inches off the ground. This reduces moisture, reduces contact with soil-dwelling insects including termites, and makes the pile less attractive to rodents.

Only bring in what you’ll burn in 24-48 hours. Don’t bring a week’s worth of wood inside. Bring a few pieces at a time, and burn them the same day.

Inspect each piece before bringing it in. Look for mud tubes, soft spots, unusual holes, or visible insects. Knock pieces together to dislodge any hitchhikers.

Never use firewood as a building material or storage shelf. Occasionally people stack extra wood against a house foundation or in a garage long-term. This is the highest-risk scenario for termite introduction.

What If You’ve Already Been Bringing Wood Inside All Season?

If you’ve been storing firewood in your garage, basement, or against your home’s exterior, it’s worth having a termite inspection before spring. Catching a termite introduction early, before the colony establishes, is far less expensive than treating an established infestation and repairing the damage.

Kilz Pest Control offers free termite inspections for homeowners throughout northeast Georgia. We’ll check your crawlspace, foundation, and any areas of concern and give you an honest written assessment.

Schedule your free inspection online or call/text us at (706) 754-6248. Serving Gainesville, Cornelia, Toccoa, Dahlonega, Helen, Clarkesville, and surrounding areas.