• Home
    • Log Home Blog How to Protect Your Log Home from Insects (Carpenter Bees & Termites)

How to Protect Your Log Home from Insects (Carpenter Bees & Termites)

Published on | Carpenter Bee Prevention Log Home Insect Control NBS 30 vs Bug Juice Termite Protection | Jim McCain

For log home owners, the biggest threat to your investment isn't fire or flood—it is wood-boring insects.

Carpenter bees, termites, and powder post beetles can cause catastrophic structural damage if left unchecked. A single carpenter bee can drill a tunnel up to 10 feet long inside your logs, while termites can feed on the core of your home unnoticed for years.

The key to protection is a multi-layered defense system involving preservatives, stain additives, and proper sealing.

Here is the professional 3-step guide to insect-proofing your log home using Weatherall products.

Step 1: The Pre-Treatment (Borates)

The most effective defense happens before you apply stain. If you are building new or stripping your home down to bare wood, you must apply a borate treatment.

The Solution: Tim-bor Professional Tim-bor is a borate-based salt treatment. When mixed with water and sprayed onto bare logs, it soaks deep into the wood fibers.

  • How it works: Borates are undetectable to humans and pets but lethal to insects and fungi. When a termite or beetle eats the treated wood, the borate disrupts their digestion, eliminating the colony.

  • Important: Borates are water-soluble. You must seal them with a high-quality exterior stain (like UV Guard II) to lock the protection inside the wood.

Step 2: The Stain Additives (Repel & Kill)

Once your logs are stained, you need a surface defense to stop flying insects from landing and drilling. Weatherall offers two powerful additives that mix directly into your stain or clear coat.

1. The Repellent: NBS 30 (Citronella & Rosemary)

NBS 30 stands for "No Bug Stuff." It is a botanical additive made from plant oils that insects naturally hate.

  • Target: Carpenter Bees and Ladybugs.

  • Mechanism: Carpenter bees search for wood by scent. NBS 30 masks the "wood smell," causing the bee to fly away in search of untreated wood.

2. The Contact Insecticide: Bug Juice

Bug Juice is a contact insecticide.

  • Target: Spiders, Wasps, and Beetles.

  • Mechanism: When a bug lands on a wall stained with Bug Juice, the insecticide attacks their nervous system. It effectively creates a "No Fly Zone" on your exterior walls.

Professional Tip: You can use both. Many contractors add NBS 30 to repel the bees and Bug Juice to kill any pest that lands. Both are clear, odorless, and will not change the color of your stain.

Step 3: Physical Sealing (Chinking & Caulk)

Insects are opportunists. They often enter your home through "checks" (cracks in the logs) or gaps around windows and corners.

  • For Large Gaps (0.5" - 4"): Use Triple Stretch Chinking. It stays elastic and moves with your logs, creating a permanent seal that bugs cannot chew through.

  • For Small Cracks (< 0.5"): Use UV Guard Textured Caulk. This seals the tiny entry points where flies and beetles sneak into your insulation.

Identifying the Top 3 Log Home Pests

1. The Carpenter Bee

  • Signs: Perfectly round, 1/2-inch holes, usually on the underside of fascia boards or soffits. Look for piles of sawdust ("frass") on the ground.

  • Damage: They do not eat the wood; they nest in it, creating complex tunnel systems that weaken the log.

2. Subterranean Termites

  • Signs: Mud tubes running up your foundation or logs that sound hollow when tapped.

  • Damage: They eat the wood from the inside out. Borate treatment is the only effective chemical defense against them.

3. Powder Post Beetles

  • Signs: Tiny "pinholes" in the wood surface with very fine, flour-like dust.

  • Damage: They turn hardwood into powder and can spread from firewood to your home's structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add Bug Juice to my existing stain?

You cannot paint Bug Juice on top of a dry wall. It must be mixed into liquid stain. If you aren't ready to re-stain, apply a fresh maintenance coat of UV Guard Advance Clear and mix the additives into that.

How often do I need to re-apply NBS 30?

Since NBS 30 is an organic repellent, its potency fades over 2-3 years depending on sun exposure. We recommend adding a fresh dose during your routine maintenance washing and sealing cycle.

Does chinking stop mice?

Yes. Properly applied Triple Stretch Chinking creates a tough, rubber-like seal that discourages mice, bats, and insects from entering through log joints.

Protect your investment. Prevention is cheaper than repair. Shop our full line of insect defense products today.

Shop Insect Additives & Preservatives ➝