Something lurking in the woodpile....

[CSchieck]

I live in NC, and something has infested my wood pile. The facts:

I have a bunch of Hickory that has been split and seasoning for about 9 months away from my home. The wood is elevated off of a dirt floor on pallets in a three sided storage shed. Storage shed is adjacent to a wooded area. Nothing else is stored in the shed other than the Hickory.

A couple of weeks ago, I loaded a bunch of the wood up and transported it in the jeep to my house. 5-6 sticks at a time, carrying them in both arms against my chest from the wood pile to the car and then from the car to a new wood pile. That night, my chest and arms that were covered by clothing were covered with some sort of insect bites. The itching was maddening. Prescription steroid cream calmed the bites considerably, but it took 4 days for the bites to go away. No new bites surfaced at any time after the initial application of the steroid cream. Nobody else in my home has been bitten at any time.

Told the guy who was nice enough to let me store wood in his shed, he told me I was crazy and there were no insects in the wood. Fast forward to this past Friday: We were getting ready to head out to a BBQ Comp, and he loaded up a bunch of wood in his truck from the same pile for us to cook with at the comp. Within two hours of loading up the wood, he and the passenger in his truck were covered with the same bites. Again, only under areas where clothing were covering. Nobody has ever seen a bug of any kind.

Question 1: What the heck is causing us so much misery?

Question 2: How do I rid the wood pile of these creatures without poisoning my wood supply?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Please.....

 

[Kmm]

Is it possible the "bugs" might actually be poison oak or poison ivy residue? I know of some local folks who are so sensitive they will experience severe reactions if they get into smoke from wood that has been in contact with the vines.

 

[bwram1]

First of all...greetings from Hickory, neighbor!

Second...could it be chiggers? They are nearly invisible to the naked eye...extremely tiny and red in color. Bite symptoms include intense itching and raised red bumps...could resemble small blisters.

 

[Pstores]

First of all...greetings from Hickory, neighbor!

Second...could it be chiggers? They are nearly invisible to the naked eye...extremely tiny and red in color. Bite symptoms include intense itching and raised red bumps...could resemble small blisters.

This would have been my guess..... And I would say is probably it.

 

[bwram1]

First of all...greetings from Hickory, neighbor!

Second...could it be chiggers? They are nearly invisible to the naked eye...extremely tiny and red in color. Bite symptoms include intense itching and raised red bumps...could resemble small blisters.

THIRD: I see you have a Shirley!!! What would it take to get a look at that thing?! I just completed a build sheet with Paul and will be sending my deposit soon...but I would LOVE to see one up close and personal!!! :becky:

 

[SmittyJonz]

I'm thinking Cootie Bugs or Chiggers.....not sure how to remove Either without Chemicals on the Wood........

Might be Bonfire Time.........

May Need to spend some Google Time on the Ole' Interweb for Natural/Herbal/ Magical Ways to Banish the Bugs........ maybe a Priest could do an Exorcism.?

 

[Hoss]

Pymethrin,from your local farm supply store.Harmless to you but will get rid of the insects.Demon works too,maybe even a mixture of the two.Good luck.

 

[bwram1]

Within two hours of loading up the wood, he and the passenger in his truck were covered with the same bites. Again, only under areas where clothing were covering.

FROM GOOGLE: "Chiggers most commonly bite in areas of thinned skin such as wrinkles and folds. Therefore, chigger bites are commonly observed in the crotch and groin areas, in the armpits, and in the folds behind the knees. The ankles are also a common site for chigger bites. Other areas that are commonly bitten by chiggers are areas where the compression of clothing (such as belts) presents barriers to their migration."

 

[Joe Black]

Do you and your neighbor have the same girlfriend and was she at the comp?

 

[Titch]

Do you and your neighbor have the same girlfriend and was she at the comp?

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

I nearly wet myself:doh: Oops, I did.

Do you have Eucalyptus oil available? That helps with mites over here. On the skin

 

[CSchieck]

First of all...greetings from Hickory, neighbor!

Second...could it be chiggers? They are nearly invisible to the naked eye...extremely tiny and red in color. Bite symptoms include intense itching and raised red bumps...could resemble small blisters.

We have been referring to the bugs as "chiggers", believing that they were the culprit. All indicia point to chiggers, but I have never heard of them infesting a wood pile before. Any idea how to get rid of them without ruining the wood for cooking?

 

[CSchieck]

THIRD: I see you have a Shirley!!! What would it take to get a look at that thing?! I just completed a build sheet with Paul and will be sending my deposit soon...but I would LOVE to see one up close and personal!!! :becky:

Let me know when you want to come by and take a look. I cook most weekends, weather permitting. Send me a PM and I'll get you an address.

 

[CSchieck]

Do you and your neighbor have the same girlfriend and was she at the comp?

Im going to go ahead and plead the 5th.

 

[SmittyJonz]

We have been referring to the bugs as "chiggers", believing that they were the culprit. All indicia point to chiggers, but I have never heard of them infesting a wood pile before. Any idea how to get rid of them without ruining the wood for cooking?

Pymethrin,from your local farm supply store.Harmless to you but will get rid of the insects.Demon works too,maybe even a mixture of the two.Good luck.

This is Fly Spray people spray directly on their Horses.......might be worth a try

 

[CSchieck]

I remain in need of advice of how to effectively rid my wood pile of these creatures without the use of poison or anything that will keep me from using the wood for cooking. Anyone?

 

[bwram1]

Let me know when you want to come by and take a look. I cook most weekends, weather permitting. Send me a PM and I'll get you an address.

:clap2::clap2::clap2::thumb:

 

[SmittyJonz]

Ummmm, #7 n #14. :twitch:

 

[BillN]

Get a large white sheet, drop cloth or plastic. Take several splits and knock them together over the sheet and see if the bugs come out. Make sure you know that you are dealing with bugs. If so find some way to heat the pile up such as stacking in direct sun and covering with black plastic. This works to sterilize ground should kill the bugs or force them to vacate. Good luck.

 

[CSchieck]

Pymethrin,from your local farm supply store.Harmless to you but will get rid of the insects.Demon works too,maybe even a mixture of the two.Good luck.

Missed this before. Definitely worth a try. Thanks!

 

[SirPorkaLot]

We have been referring to the bugs as "chiggers", believing that they were the culprit. All indicia point to chiggers, but I have never heard of them infesting a wood pile before. Any idea how to get rid of them without ruining the wood for cooking?

Is there any terra-cotta near the woodpile?
Chiggers are well known to infest areas with terra cotta.
They also do infest rotten wood.

NC is certainly chigger country.