Are Bugs Hiding in My Firewood?

Posted by Mosquito Squad Plus

October 19, 2026

They certainly could be! Firewood can offer Nashville pests exactly what they’re looking for this fall – i.e. dark crevices and sheltered protection.

So, while a stack of firewood might look like fuel for your fireplace to you, it might appear to be a rustic condominium complex to a spider, stink bug, beetle, or small arthropod. Loosened bark, cracks, and spaces between logs provide an array of sheltered spaces where insects can hide or overwinter.

What Kinds of Pests Can Live Around Firewood?

Different types of pests use firewood in very different ways. For instance, wood-boring insects actually develop inside dead or dying wood. Others simply hide beneath loose bark, between logs, or between logs and the ground.

Resourceful as they are, spiders will take advantage of the shelter and the available prey around woodpiles. And overwintering pests, like stink bugs, might use similar protected spaces within or around firewood when temperatures begin to fall.

UT Extension notes an additional (perhaps unthought of) issue, which is the potential for transporting insects from one area to another inside firewood. Invasive insects, like the emerald ash borer, are one reason increased attention has been given to the movement and treatment of firewood.

How Should You Store Firewood?

However convenient it might prove, storing firewood directly against your home is not recommended. Keeping wood stacked in such a way can create a sheltered pest habitat that’s too close for comfort.

It’s recommended to store firewood away from direct contact with your home whenever possible and keep it elevated off the ground. Only bring inside wood that you’re ready to burn relatively soon. It’s also worth your time to inspect logs before carrying them indoors, giving special attention to areas beneath loose bark.

Avoid treating firewood itself with household pesticides unless a product label specifically permits that type of use. Pesticide labels are the law. Follow them stringently.

Can Yard Pest Control Help Around Firewood Storage Areas?

Outdoor pest control can definitely help reduce pest activity around the areas where wood is stored. Squad Yard Defender is specifically designed to manage a broad range of outdoor pests with treatments tailored to the pest, property, and season.

But good firewood habits still matter. Keep the wood dry and give it some breathing room. Don’t stack it against your house, porch, or garage.

And before you carry an armload of firewood indoors, give it a quick inspection, because nobody invited eight-legged kindling to your holiday movie night.

Where Do We Offer Pest Control?

Mosquito Squad Plus of Nashville is pleased to offer mosquito control, tick control, as well as expanded outdoor pest control services, including stink bug control, throughout these areas in Davidson County, Wilson County, Sumner County, Williamson County, and beyond.

Choose Mosquito Squad Plus for Nashville pest control!

Mosquito Squad Plus treats mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and many more outdoor pests throughout the Nashville TN area! Contact us today at (615) 492-3662 or fill out our online form for your complimentary Nashville outdoor pest control assessment and treatment quote.

Our pest control packages and related services all come with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee!