removing termites from wood

[piercedsoul]

my mate had an old tree fall down which he cut up. he gave me 2 pieces about 40cm tall and about 30-40cm in diameter and hollow in the middle.

there's evidence of something eating away at the inside of it. my mate (after bringing them round) thinks he saw a termite in the wood) so now they're sitting across the rd on a nature strip.

I know my birds would love chewing these up but i'm weary of termites in the wood. Is there any way to definitely kill them? The pieces are small enough to submerge in a bin full of water but i'm not sure it would get the eggs, or even whether the water would get into every cavity

[avinet]

What sort of birds are in the aviary you planned to use the wood in? Many birds do enjoy a feed of termites!

If your aviary is metal then I wouldn't worry - if it is wood frame I still don't think a few termites away from their nest will be a problem. Soaking the wood in water should kill all the termites - the water will soak into all parts of the wood over a few days - and don't worry about eggs. Even if they survive the water they won't survive after hatching without the worker termites to feed them initially.

cheers,

Mike