For many years here in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas, as well as the rest of Sevier County, real estate developers have carved a tremendous number of cabins ever deeper into the forests around these communities. Recently, I have witnessed the revenge that the wild side of Sevier County has exacted upon some of these developments. Bears in downtown Sevierville, trees crashing through roofs, and then the more subtle but potentially even more destructive attack of the insects…
Boring bees, termites, and other insects are a part of God’s recycling plan that takes dead trees and converts them into mulch for the forest. Unfortunately, the rather unintelligent insects sometimes confuse purpose built structures (made from dead trees) with every day ordinary dead trees and the results can be disastrous. Consider the foreclosure home in Wears Valley we were just assigned that I viewed for the first time today:
Sadly, the exterior of this Sevierville (actually Wears Valley) cabin is covered with this damage which is caused by a boring bee or a similar insect. After the bee bores a perfectly round hole about a half inch in diameter it lays its eggs deep within the tunnel it has chewed out. The larvae hatch and eat their way back out but woodpeckers and other birds find the bugs tasty so they peck the wood apart to find their lunch. When a house is this severely damaged, it can be very expensive to repair as the wood siding or logs will have to be patched or replaced. The key to preventing this sort of damage is to keep the exterior of a log or log look home stained. The stain, if it is a good grade, will discourage the boring insects from attacking the wood. Unfortunately, a house that has a lot of exposure to the sun or that stays damp due to surrounding tree coverage will need to be re-stained about every 3-5 years, even if you are using Sikkens or another top grade brand. If you are using a “bargain” stain, plan on re-staining more often.
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