In article , Spud Demon wrote:
"Rick F." writes in article dated Mon, 02 Oct 2006 05:59:08 GMT:
I got some tree trimmings from a couple not too far from us and I
am planning on using it for smoking (meats).. It's from a nice large
(and dead) nectarine tree, but upon cutting it down it was found that
there were termites consuming it to some degree about midway up the 20' tree..
I suspect they've been there a while.. Anyway, they don't really pose
much of an issue for what I'm using them for, but I would like to ensure
that the little buggers can't get out and start eating my (or a neighbors)
house.. If I had an average sized vacuum pump which could be used to pull
a vacuum on a trash bag with some of the infested branches in them, would
that be sufficient to kill the termites (similar to taking them to the
moon?) after a while (several days or weeks) in that environment?..

Anyway, just thought I'd check as I'm sure nobody has done that
sort of experiment

I doubt a trash bag could hold any serious vacuum without rupturing.

On top of that, insects are extraordinarily recuperative. You can drown a
housefly for hours or even days, then dry him off in a pile of salt and
he'll fly away.

The important concept in termite prevention is to have a chemical barrier
between the soil/outside stuff and the house's wood. So don't bring the
branches inside, and don't lean them against the house, and you'll be fine.

Thanks.. I've got about 80% of them in a fully sealed 50G plastic drum
that I picked up a few weeks ago -- if any start wandering about, they'll
not escape that drum with it's tight fitting lid.. The last few larger stump
pieces are in my garden shed (all plastic -- no worries there) near the rear
fence in my back year -- about 100' away from the house.. I'll be axing that
wood this weekend to break it into smaller pieces for easier storage/treatment
if needed. I really didn't see more than a few termites, but some of my
cuttings at 3-4' long and up to 10-12" in diameter so there's lots of room
for them without me seeing them.. One interesting thing I found was that some
of the branches seemed to be almost wet under the bark and they looked like
they had started to get some mildew.. Perhaps a side effect of what the bugs
did a while back -- you could see where they had been travelling below the
bark before they found a suitable place to setup shop. I guess I've never
seen this sort of thing so much in fruit trees.. Must be pretty common, but
has never happened to any I've owned.. (knock on wood).