Log Home Pests FAQ

How do I deter woodpeckers from damaging my logs?

Context: Woodpeckers peck on wood for three primary reasons:  1. In search of food; beetle larva, ants, and other insects in the wood.  2. To create nesting cavity. 3. Drumming to audibly communicate for mating and territory. There are at least three considerations to prevent woodpecker damage to log and wood homes.

1. As your property allows, consider leaving any dead trees stand that are far enough to not threaten damage to your home. Standing dead trees offer more attractive alternatives for nesting and food search than your home. Maintaining a suet feeder can also provide easier access to food.
   
   
2. If woodpeckers are drilling on your logs, there’s a chance it could be indicative of insect infestation. Inspect the area they are targeting to be sure it is not infested with carpenter ants or other pests. Eradicating wood-boring insect activity will aid in deterring woodpeckers as well as stop damage from the insects.
   
   
3. There are noise and visual deterrents available on the market that can also aid in keeping woodpeckers off your home.
   
   

How do I repair woodpecker damage on my log cabin?

Context: Woodpeckers can cause damage to a log or wood home, drilling holes in search of food or to create nesting cavities.

There are several different ways you might repair woodpecker damage to your home:

1. Small holes, such as damage from a downy woodpecker, can be easily patched with a tinted epoxy wood filler (e.g. WoodEpox, E-Wood) or with a closely colored caulking (e.g. Conceal Textured Caulk, Energy Seal).
2. Small to medium holes, such as damage from a hairy woodpecker, could also be filled with an epoxy wood filler or caulking; or another option would be to drill the hole round and fill it with a wooden dowel/plug. This should accept a stain like the rest of the surface and may blend in to resemble a knot.
   
   
3. Large areas, which would likely be the work of a pileated woodpecker, may need to be cut out and plugged with a replacement wood piece. One method would be to first cut a pattern slightly larger than the area of damage. (A naturally flowing shape that follows the wood grain will likely blend more naturally than a perfect rectangle.) Then trace that pattern onto the log and cut it out. Trace the same pattern onto a replacement wood piece, ideally of a similar species and grain orientation. Cut the replacement piece to size and secure with construction adhesive and fasteners, such as Oly Log Screws. It would be advantageous to treat the bare wood of the void and the replacement with a borate preservative like Board Defense or Tim-bor before installation. Stain the replacement piece to blend to the wall color, which may require additional coats or a first coat of a darker color. Save scraps from cutting the replacement piece to test stain colors to blend in the new piece.
   
   

How do I deter squirrels or porcupines from chewing on my log home?

Context: Logs are often treated with a sodium borate (e.g. Board Defense, Sansin Boracol, Tim-bor) preservative before staining. Sometimes animals like squirrels or porcupines are attracted to sodium in the wood treatment and will chew to get to the minerals.

One way to deter animals from chewing on your borate-treated wood is to offer them a more readily available source of salt, such as a wildlife mineral lick placed near your home.

How do I manage bats in my log cabin?

Context: Bats are flying marvels of nature that are a benefit, eating thousands of mosquitoes, but they can be a nuisance when they get into the cabin. They often enter through gaps where the walls meet the roof, so their presence can also be an indication of areas where there is energy leakage.

1. Hiring an energy auditor to conduct a blower door test will provide thermal imaging reports. Identifying these areas of air leakage can also help to identify places where bats may be infiltrating.
   
   
2. Once the bats’ entry points are identified, either visually or through home energy audits, it’s preferable to allow the bats to escape before sealing them in. One method is to cut a silk stocking, tights, or pantyhose into a short tube. Secure one open end of the tube around the bats’ entry/exit point. This will allow the bats to exit at night but make for difficult re-entry.
   
   
3. Once the bats have been allowed to exit the building, the gaps should be sealed with backer rod and caulking (e.g. Log Builder, Energy Seal, Conceal Textured Caulk).
   
   
4. Roosting bats will often leave streaks of urine and droppings. Sodium percarbonate cleaners (e.g. CPR, Outlast KleenStart) are often effective in lifting the residue and neutralizing the odor.
   
   
5. Bats can be a great asset when you live in nature, provided they stay out of your cabin. Consider erecting bat houses on trees or poles away from your structure to give them a more favorable location to rest.
   
   

How do I protect my log cabin against powder post beetles?

Context: Powder post beetles are small, rice-sized insects that infest wood, leaving pinholes and piles of fine powder. Though small, they can multiply and be highly destructive if left untreated. They especially seem to prefer unheated and season buildings.

Your approach to eradicating or preventing powder post beetles may vary depending on whether your wood is already coated with a finish.

1. On bare, unfinished wood, a borate preservative (e.g. Board Defense, Sansin Boracol, Tim-bor) can be applied before application of a finish. Borate preservative can also be targeted into active powder post beetle holes by injecting with a syringe.
   
   
2. On previously finished wood, if due for a re-coat, an insecticide additive (e.g. Bug Juice) can be added to the stain or clear coat if compatible. Insecticide may also be injected into active holes with a syringe. Follow the insecticide’s relevant instructions and regulations.
   
   
3. On previously finished wood that is not due for a re-coat, such as on the interior, a spray concentrate insecticide (e.g. Viper, Bee-Gone) can be applied over the infested area. Insecticide may also be injected into active holes with a syringe. Follow the insecticide’s relevant instructions and regulations.
   
   
4. As an alternative to borate before finishing, an exterior log finish with insecticide/preservative included in the formula can be applied (e.g. Outlast Q8 Log Oil, WOODguard).
   
   
5. Consider our Beetle Kit, which includes borate preservative, contact insecticide, and application tools.
   
   

How do I protect my log cabin against carpenter ants?

Context: Carpenter Ants can sometimes be a problem if wood remains moist and wood rot occurs.

1. Preventative measures on bare wood involve treatment with a borate preservative (e.g. Board Defense, Sansin Boracol, Tim-bor).
   
   
2. Also, carpenter ants are often infested in wet wood in early stages of decay. Look for the cause of the moisture and try to eliminate it.
   
   
3. Carpenter ants can enter a building by way of vegetation that may touch the building. To help prevent this, trim bushes and trees touching the building and watch for rotting stumps that could have rotting root systems underground near your building.
   
   
4. Design your building to keep moisture away from it so that moist wood does not encourage insect problems.
   
   
5. Stain additives such as Bug Juice or NBS 30 and wood treatments also help to deter problems.
   
   
6. For an active infestation, often “bait killer” insecticides are effective, because rather than killing the one ant that comes in contact it will see the bait as food and bring back to share with the colony. Bait killers come in granule form (e.g. Advance or Niban) or in gel form (e.g. MaxForce). Follow appropriate instructions and regulations when using insecticides.
   
   
7. Consider our Carpenter Ant Kit, which includes both gel and granule bait killers.
   
   

How do I protect my log home from carpenter bees?

Context: For Log Homes, the large carpenter bees or Xylocopa do the most damage, boring approximately 1/2" diameter tunnels into logs and other wood surfaces including decks, overhangs, fence rails, etc. Carpenter Bee tunnels become a threat for infestation of wood-decaying fungi or other insects, such as carpenter ants.

1. Extermination is best left to the professionals. For the homeowner to eradicate their own infestation, insecticidal spray or dust, such as those included in the Carpenter Bee Kit, may be applied into the hole.
   
   
2. These types of products may need to be applied every couple of weeks for a while to ensure effectiveness. Apply them at night while the hive is asleep for maximum impact. Beware that some insecticides have been banned but not yet removed from store shelves. Consider the potential health risks of using such poisons in your home (young children are the most susceptible). If you have an exterminator do the job professionally, find out what they are using and if those insecticides have been banned in your area. If you are having or have had problems with Carpenter bees, consider adding NBS 30 to your finish when you re-coat your house again. If chemicals aren't your bag, you can give the kids a project with a couple of fly swatters. The males don't sting and the females are known to be more reluctant to stinging, unlike other bees, wasps, and hornets.
   
   
3. Consider spraying borate preservative (e.g. Tim-bor, Board Defense, Shell Guard RTU, Sansin Boracol) in the tunnels afterwards to help guard against wood-decaying fungi. Put the preservative in a spray bottle, pump sprayer, or squeeze bottle and administer it into the holes.
   
   
4. After the infestation has been handled, plug the holes with a wooden dowel plug, wood putty (e.g. WoodEpox, E-Wood), or caulked with a color to match the surrounding wood (e.g. Conceal Textured Caulk, Energy Seal).
   
   
5. Consider leaving dead standing timber in the nearby woods or erecting raw wood timbers away from your home to give carpenter bees a more favorable place to live in nature.
   
   
6. Consider our Carpenter Bee Kit, which includes both contact insecticide spray and dust with applicator tool.
   
   

How do I keep ladybugs, cluster flies, and other insect pests out of my log cabin?

Context: Lady bugs, cluster flies, and many other insects may not be a direct threat to the logs or wood in your home, but they can be a nuisance. They often enter through small gaps and may emerge inside during warm winter days.

1. Sealing all gaps with log home caulking is the most effective way to keep ladybugs, Asian beetles, and cluster flies out of your home. Additionally, sealing those gaps will also lower air leakage and thereby improve your heating and cooling usage.
   
   
2. The best way to find small gaps in the building envelope is with a blower door test. An energy auditor will control the pressure of the house with a blower door, measure the air leakage, and provide thermal imaging to identify precisely where there is unwanted air exchange and possible entry points for insects.
   
   
3. Cracks can be sealed indoors and/or outdoors with backer rod and an appropriate caulk (i.e. Conceal Textured Caulk, Energy Seal, Big Stretch).
   
   

Can I mix and apply Bee Gone and Armor Guard Borate Preservative?

Context: Armor Guard Borate Preservative (also similar brands of Tim-bor and Board Defense) is a powder mixed with water and applied to bare wood.

No, you can use them both on the same project, but they shouldn’t be intermixed. Use according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Borate powders are mixed with water and applied to bare wood. As an insecticide/fungicide, it protects the wood internally by mixing with water and soaking into the raw wood cells. The Bug Bee Gone is a contact insecticide applied to the surface, on top of you stain/finish. If you already have a finish on the wood, then only use the Bee Gone. If you are at bare wood, the procedure would be Armor Guard, then your stain/finish, and finally Bee Gone applied over top after the finish is cured. Also, Armor Guard is discontinued, but we have some remaining inventory. We have the same product available under the brands Tim-bor and Board Defense, if your desired size of Armor Guard is no longer in stock.