Knowledgebase
Piles of wood shavings under wood ceiling and exposed rafters #879730
Asked August 01, 2024, 12:16 PM EDT
Hi! What are these piles? They are occurring underneath our ceiling. The ceiling is beetle kill pine and the rafters are douglas fir: they are both exposed (no drywall). There is 6" of rigid foam insulation above the ceiling and a standing seam metal roof. We have cleaned them up twice and they've shown up a third time within the period of about a year - so not very frequently. We are only finding them in one spot in the room which is 600SF. There are clearly wood shavings in the mix but we aren't able to identify anything else. There's definitely no mouse poop not that we think it's a mouse. There isn't any physical evidence in the ceiling itself. Photos attached. I included a pic of the room; the piles have been on the top of the wooden closet (behind the ladder). Thank you!!
El Paso County Colorado
Expert Response
Best of luck!
CSU Ask Extension Team
Hello Elizabeth,
It is hard to tell from the pile of shavings, what the culprit could be. If you are worried that it could be a wood-boring beetle, could you examine the wood directly over the pile of shavings for any recent exit holes? Also have you noticed any carpenter ants in your home? You could send additional photos if you see signs like these. It looks like there may be frass (poop) in the pile of shavings, though it is hard to tell from the photos.
You could also bring a sample of the shavings and any additional signs you are seeing into our office. Our El Paso County Master Gardener Help Desk is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9-12 and 1-4 through September. We are located at 17 N. Spruce St., Colorado Springs, CO 80905.
Best,
Allisa Linfield
Horticulture Coordinator
CSU Extension El Paso County
