
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 7, 1991                   TAG: 9102060075
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: Lelia Mayton
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EVEN IF YOU SEE SPIDERS DANCE, PLEASE DON'T SPRAY THE FIREWOOD

Several species of insects and spiders can winter under the bark and in the soft tissue of dead trees. Homeowners gain first-hand knowledge of these critters when they store firewood inside a warm house.

Seeing insects and spiders emerging from this wood often leads to the desire to spray the woodpile with an insecticide - something you should never do.

While it is unnecessary to treat firewood chemically, a little precaution and mechanical treatment of firewood can eliminate some of these unwanted house guests.

Control of spiders, beetles, ants and other insects associated with firewood is not difficult. Removing as much of the bark as possible from the wood before bringing it into the house will eliminate some beetles and a spider or two.

Also consider splitting all the pieces of wood brought into the house. This will help expose carpenter ants and other insects that have excavated galleries in the middle areas of soft logs. When exposed to indoor temperatures, insects can resume activity and begin foraging around the house. So keeping logs indoors for only a short time helps to eliminate this problem. You burn them before they can emerge.

If a few insects do emerge, don't panic. They will not infest the house. Treat the insects, not the woodpile. Avoid using pesticides around firewood.

With concern over how rapidly our landfill will reach maximum capacity, many people want to find alternatives for garbage disposal that will benefit rather than harm the environment.

Small-scale composting can turn organic yard and kitchen wastes into valuable resources for plants and microorganisms. Plant refuse such as leaves, lawn clippings, old flower and vegetable plants and food scraps can be composted into a small space.

Composting is a disintegration process caused by bacteria and fungus organisms. There usually is no objectionable odor during the process when layers of soil are added to the pile.

A plastic trash bag may be used to make a small quantity of compost from relatively fine materials such as leaves, lawn clippings or chopped garden refuse. Why not plan on having a compost pile as part of your garden this year?

by CNB