Dust piles

Sean B · Post by **Sean B** » Mar 15th, '08, 07:03

For several years now I've noticed little dust piles here and there on the boat. They look like fine coffee grounds. Some are jet black, others are light brown.

I've always seen these on the bridge, on the deck inside and under the dash/helm area. I vacuum them up but they reappear in a few weeks. There is wood above this area, but close inspections never reveal any evidence of any wood-boring insects. The little beads that appear on the bridge are black.

I've also regularly seen the little piles on an area below the galley sink, on the engine hatch cover inside the cabinet door (this spot may not seem familiar to everyone here, this is a B33). These little piles are black too. There is no wood at all above the area where these piles appear. They recur regularly too.

Occasionally I'll see the piles, light brown in color, on the cabin sole directly under the galley doors and drawers. Again, absolutely no evidence of wood-boring insects on the wood doors or drawers above them.

Last night I noticed a little light brown pile in the head - a new place for this - near a corner seam between the wall / bulkhead and the FG floor deck.

I thought I might have termites, but I can't find any evidence of them other than this, and I've looked hard. Also the constantly recurring little dust pile under the galley sink, in a spot where there is no wood at all nearby, doesn't seem to suggest wood-boring insects.

I thought about spiders, which seem to like to hang out on my boat. But do spiders always poop in the same exact spot? Also I've fogged the boat with Raid "Yard Guard," which wipes out the spiders (and seemingly every other bug) completely, but the little dust piles persist.

Anybody have any idea what this could be??? It's driving me nuts.

Brewster Minton · Post by **Brewster Minton** » Mar 15th, '08, 07:15

Ghost turds?

Sean B · Post by **Sean B** » Mar 15th, '08, 07:21

Brewster Minton wrote:Ghost turds?

That's exactly what they seem to be

CaptPatrick · Post by **CaptPatrick** » Mar 15th, '08, 07:54

Sean,

Collect samples of both types, about a half teaspoon, & take 'em to your local Orkin or other pest control business. They should be able to tell you what it is, if it is droppings. Spider droppings are usually black & stick hard to where they land, never granular or loose.

Br,

Patrick

Sean B · Post by **Sean B** » Mar 15th, '08, 08:25

Another fine idea, thank you.

I had no idea you were so knowledgeable on the subject of spider poop. Your talents run far and wide, sir :)

thanks again

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » Mar 15th, '08, 10:38

If you find out what it is, one of Uncle Vic's friends and the guy I fly fished Pacific sailfish with, Bob LeBlanc, makes/sells products that will kill most anything legally. I'll get you his name and number. Tell him I recommended that you call. Walter

CaptPatrick · Post by **CaptPatrick** » Mar 15th, '08, 10:43

I had no idea you were so knowledgeable on the subject of spider poop.

I know all kinda' poop... When you leave your custom painted Harley sitting in the shop, uncovered, with a beevy of spiders livin' 12' above, you learn the hard way about spider crap. Same lesson will be learned in a boat shead.

Br,

Patrick

MarkS · Post by **MarkS** » Mar 15th, '08, 14:07

Sean,
I have had a similar problem with some of the hickory furniture I have sold over the years. Strange little piles of wood dust re appearing over and over after vacuuming the showroom floor. The end result though not likely your end result, we were told were hickory beetles. These tough little bastards supposedly survive kiln drying and finishing processes and then continue to eat the wood. Maybe Randall would have a thought regarding wood boring pests. We ended up send these pieces back to the factory and sending replacements. Rotten little SOB's!

Mark

Ironman · Post by **Ironman** » Mar 15th, '08, 17:13

Not trying to scare you ,could be termites.
My Son is a termite inspector..... A good look directly above the pile will most likely be a small hole.
Inject some wd 40 or dish soap into the network of tunnels.
Wayne

randall · Post by **randall** » Mar 15th, '08, 18:17

i really dont...in my work i remove so much stock that nothing is hiding in there....here...termites need soil to go back to...on a boat?..ive had wasps on the boat...but the're easy to find

Harv · Post by **Harv** » Mar 15th, '08, 19:01

Most of the extra life on my boat seems to be spiders. I find several webs and then there's a dirt pile beneath the webs.

scot · Post by **scot** » Mar 15th, '08, 21:21

Randall wrote:

ive had wasps on the boat

It's an infestation in Southeast Texas, I carry wasp spray offshore to shot the little turds down as they appear. Never go out on the boat without a ball cap (for killing wasp) In fact one of my goals as I build the current boat is to make it "wasp proof". I am constantly looking in every nook for new nest. Dang a 1.5" long red wasp hurts! I have even considered taking an epi-pen with me in the event one of my guest is stung.

I hate wasp.

Preston Burrows · Post by **Preston Burrows** » Mar 16th, '08, 08:56

Sean:

The 'coffee grounds' sound like termites,check the wood in the areas you see these piles for hollow spots by tapping or using a large sewing needle to probe the wood to locate soft spots within.................the light brown dust sounds like stress induced or friction erosion creating wood dust,possibly the bulkheads slight movement against their wood supports and the drawers sliding action over wood slides and the doors slight movement against the wood frames creating the dust?

My B28 suffers from both the above:the termite 'coffee grounds' being present in the dinette drawer faces and wood framing for the forward bulkhead and forward cupboards port and starboard sides as well as in the aft bulkhead at the engine compartment port and starboard side, where 'coffee grounds' are evident in the hatches 'gutters' that adjoin the bulkhead.They prefer plywoods to hardwoods.

Stress and friction induced erosion,brown dust piles,is evident in my B28's cabin door at the jambs in each bottom corner and in the dinette and galley drawers at the wood slides.

Our termites here are the flying type and have definite seasons each year:twice a year I spend several weeks vacuuming their wings up when shed at which time I spray the boat in the 'coffee ground' and nearby areas with Baygon.I usually get warning of the approaching 'season' as they start swarming the lights on the boat dock at night in noticeable numbers.

Thankfully our boats are not wood hulls and the termites are more of a nuisance than a real structural menace - although the termites could/would cause enough damage in the long term to warrant replacement of the affected wood if left unchecked.

Often in the boat yards here you will see boats being tented and fumigated for termite control by the local bug control businesses.

Harv · Post by **Harv** » Mar 16th, '08, 09:53

scot wrote:Randall wrote: It's an infestation in Southeast Texas, I carry wasp spray offshore to shot the little turds down as they appear. Never go out on the boat without a ball cap (for killing wasp) In fact one of my goals as I build the current boat is to make it "wasp proof". I am constantly looking in every nook for new nest. Dang a 1.5" long red wasp hurts! I have even considered taking an epi-pen with me in the event one of my guest is stung.

I hate wasp.

scot,

on the south shore of Long Island we are inundated with green horseflies. They bite like hell. The only saving graces for these are they are slow to react and they don't venture far from the shoreline. However, once offshore, they are replaced by little balck flies, that look like ordinary house flies, but they also bite like hell too. These flies however, are a little faster and harder to swat.

randall · Post by **randall** » Mar 16th, '08, 11:51

but not on the east end..almost no green head flies....thats why the real estate is so expensive......but we got wasps (no pun intended)

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Mar 16th, '08, 12:25

MarkS
Think your prob may be powder post beetles. They leave little telltale piles of dust. Growing up in an eighteenth century house we were plagued with these little bastards. Dad used kerosene in a squirt bottle. A shot in their hole and wipe up the excess. Usually gets them. Not sure about these fiberglass beetles though. Evolved species. Just our luck, huh?

AndreF · Post by **AndreF** » Mar 16th, '08, 17:32

Roach poop?

Sean B · Post by **Sean B** » Mar 17th, '08, 07:00

It can't be roaches, they're not this neat.

Based on all I've read, I'm pretty sure I have "drywood termites" which are also known as airborne termites. I'm still going to take some of the dust to a specialist to confirm.

These guys are different from the much worse subterranean termites, which live in soil, but can still of course do damage.

The queens swarm around and eventually loose their wings, and this is how they spread around.

Here is something useful. If you find winged ants, this is how you tell if they are harmless ants or if they are termites. The winged termite queens swarm in the spring.

MarkS · Post by **MarkS** » Mar 17th, '08, 09:10

So Mikey do we add these powder post beetles to the list of stuff left over after the nuclear fallout?
1) Cockroaches
2) Howard Dean
3) Powder Post Beetles

MS

AndreF · Post by **AndreF** » Mar 17th, '08, 10:13

"Plan of attack and implementation:
Using your trusty flashlight, find where those roaches are congregating. You can usually recognize their hideouts by their poop lying around. Ah yes...roach poop...looks like pepper."

Sean B · Post by **Sean B** » Mar 17th, '08, 10:20

Roaches partying on my boat?

Little bastards are probably drinking all my beer too

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » Mar 17th, '08, 13:57

Timbor or any other borate based product will take them out. it coats the surface of the wood like sugar water. It is water bases, so it can be washed off. We use it for powderpost beetles and carpenter ants too. It also stops rot, as it kills fungus, etc. It is nontoxic to humans. Mix it up in a garden sprayer and have at it.

bertram31.com

Dust piles

Dust piles

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