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i dont think you have anything to worry about but if you are really worried you could try putting them in the oven at a low heat as i know paper combusts at 451 degrees. Probably something like 200-250 degrees and it would kill anything inside of them. That may also be a stupid suggestion but it might be worth a shot.

What about freezing them? Maybe 48 hours in the freezer would be death to any and all bugs in the lasts.

The freezer works for bedbugs as does a clothes dryer. Don't know about termites though. Call a local exterminator to find out.

i once brought home some wooden pieces from mali that had termites. i was advised to put them in the oven at a low heat for about 20 minutes. it did the trick.

Please please please don't put them in the oven.
I work in a museum and we have to deal with these kind of problems all the time. Without moisture an oven will just destory them, and if you use a low heat, it won't do a thing to the bugs (if there are any alive).

You have 2 options:
Bag them up well-air tight! in a clear plastic and then:
a) place them somewhere safe away from anything else wooden, basically quarantine them. Then wait till Spring. This might not be termites it could be death watch beetles. Right now I couldn't tell you what they are or even if this if recent damage way unless they have any dust (or more specifically called frass) coming out of them. Even an exterminator wouldn't be able to tell you for sure one way or another without that (even if they tell you they can). By spring if there's anything living in there you will have bugs or frass.

b) Bag them the same way and freeze them. But you will have to freeze for 2 weeks to actually kill anything for sure. Also you will have to leave them bagged for about a day or two after you take them out to let them warm up again, otherwise water will condense on them and you'll get mould etc.

hope this helps! and main thing is they are totally treatable without horrid chemicals or any panic!

Hi. I used to work at the NY Botanical Garden, where new samples were frozen to kill potential insect infestation. Bexsa's advice is sound.

I agree that freezing seems to work (though my fear has always been that those mofos are just hibernating). Plastic bagging, tied tight, and put out in the sun for 2 weeks kill bugs (bed bugs specificially, during the NY bed bug epidemic). If you have a microwave, you can nuke them for a few minute(s). I did that for a few wood objects with beetle holes I brought back from South Africa (not sculptures, just wood bits I found in the mountains). I actually like the holes. Gives the object age and character. So far, seems fine, our house is still standing upright.

Holes of this sort are not always caused by termites, either, but rather they are "worm holes"... although the exposed damage does indeed look termite-y.

To the freezer!

I believe those aren't termite tunnels. They may be from nailing leather into the lasts. When you make shoes, tacks and nails are used to hold the leather in place as the leather is stretched on dried over form. The damage to the heel is quite common (prying nails etc off the last).

You can check if they are bug holes by inserting a pin or straw into the hole. If the hole is straight, it is from a tack or nail. If it curvy and goes deep, then it's a termite tunnel.

I bought a beautiful large pine blanket chest for a client from an antique dealer with the idea to have a tv lift installed. While the carpenter was installing the mechanics, he found termites. We had it treated by an exterminator (they wrapped it and bombed it) and it took care of the invaders.

This may not be completely relevant, but I found a nice, sculptural piece of driftwood near my friend's cottage that someone had thrown into the woods. It was damp from being on the ground, and I expected it to be full of bugs.
I de-bugged it as follows:

First, I slammed it as hard as I could (without breaking it) on a slab of rock... as I continued doing this at various angles, all sorts of bugs literally fell out -- spiders, centipedes, beetles, ants, you name it -- some were pretty big and nasty-looking.

When the bugs stopped falling out, we took it inside the cottage and boiled it in a big pot. I added water several times and continued, until I was sure that nothing would still be alive in there. The water at first had some dead bugs in it, and it became quite yellowish from the tannins released by the wood. I stopped when the water remained clear and no more debris was being released.

Then I let it dry completely, slammed it on the rock again, and after that, it was fine.

I think the freezer idea would probably be better for your antique shoe mold, but I didn't think of that at the time. In any case, the boiling method worked for me.

the freezer works..my mother in law brought home some gorgeous old wooden bowls from the caribbean several years ago and then realized they were infected with termites. We sealed them in very large ziploc bags and left them in the freezer for a month. Haven't had any problems!

I worked in a Herbarium (library of scientific plant specimens) and freezing the the best way to kill beasties without hurting the article they're eating. Airtight wrap and a month in the deep freeze works on termites, weevils, and scores of other nasties.

Haaaaaaaaa..lightspeed..the more i read..the wider my eyes got..and my mouth...so funny!!! The visual..after reading all the 'scientific' ways..thanks!!!

Whenever I bring home a book from a used bookshop, I freeze it in a ziplock bag for several days.... you'll notice the musty smell goes away. I'm sure it works for all levels of parasitic infestation, including termites, which are not cold tolerant at all.

This is one of my biggest fears of antique/thrift/craigslist items. YICK!!!!

i worked for a company that shipped teak furniture from india, and they were always shipped in frozen cargo containers. we never once had any problems with bugs of any kind ever. i vote for freezing.

one drop of frontline for dogs in one of the tracks...

there is likely nothing in them though since termites don't like to be disturbed, if the item has been moved around around a lot they'll almost certainly be long gone.

Thanks for the great feedback - the shoe lasts are headed for the freezer!

My dad owns a termite control business, and I had him look at your photos. Here's what he said:

Those holes don't look like termites -- they look like powder post beetles. If that's the case, toss 'em. Beetles can hatch several years after the original infestation and can infest furniture and hardwood floors. And they are very hard to eradicate.

So freezing may not be the final answer. Sorry.

Its not very likely they are powder post beetles, they tend to only go for new wood (almost exclusivly) its more than likely furniture or death watch beetles and 2 weeks in a freezer will kill them off. I was on a pest management course this wednesday. Trust me on this one :P
The only way to tell conclusively is if there was dust/frass (frass=insect poop) that you would have to look under a microscope.
Gritty frass=furniture beetle
Rounded frass=deathwatch beetle
fine talc-like frass=powder post beetle

I thought they were beetle holes from long ago..myself..you see that in a lot of antique furniture at the shops..but hopefully they didn't come out into the buyer's house later!!! Jeez..all over a little pair of adorable shoe lasts..!