Update On My Buggy Hickory Chairs

Ok,  so you remember my post Tips on Getting Rid of Wood Eating Bugs (click here to view that post), specifically for those eating four hickory chairs that I purchased. When we last visited about them, I shared that I had painted a borax solution on them and later sprayed them with insecticide.  I "baked" them while sealed plastic on the basketball court of the old house for two days AND then on the back deck of the new house for at least two days, but the second day we had rain.

(See some of the insect damage on the chair in the above pic).
So we threw them in the empty van, still covered in plastic.  We parked the sealed van in the hot sun for several days (stow and go seating, got to love it) until I could get to them.  So I did all I could to kill those little buggars.

(See insect exit hole in above pic.)
I finally removed the plastic sheeting and I used a wood stain on all exposed wood.  Then spread a nice white sheet in the back of the van and plopped the chairs on it for two more days in the hot sun.  (We have another vehicle so I did not need to drive the van during this time).  The white sheet was there in case there were any critter sawdust, it would be easy to see.


The big reveal was today.  ONE of the chairs still had tell-tale signs of powder post beetles.  I did not have it in me to repeat all the procedures I tried, so in the burn pile it goes.  TWO of the chairs were invited into our tiny living room, and blend in great.  The last chair I will sell, and hope to recoup the money I spent on the chairs, the insecticide, the 55 gallon trash bags and the stain.