Ciao Brian,
Much thanks for the insider tip from the entomologist.
I'll have to get a walk in freezer if I get an
infestation.
Jonas,
I haven't had to try this as I was waiting to see the
bugs first. I haven't had any infestation since I've
been picking my own boo. Maybe bamboo beetles don't
exist in NYC? When I harvest in Japan, I'm very
careful in cleaning the bamboo and performing
aburanuki before I get the bamboo on the plane to
avoid bringing any fungus or bugs home with me.
I have, however, purchased Madake from professional
shakuhachi bamboo harvesters in Tokyo and Kyoto who
have used old car oil as a bug deterrent. When I make
flutes with these pieces of bamboo, the roots are
washed and shaved down so that all traces of the oils
are removed. The root stock actually comes quite big
so a lot of material is removed on both the small
roots and the bottom of the flute. Most or all the
penetrating oils are removed. They are then coated and
polished with urushi several times over until the
roots are completely sealed. As far as I can tell
(smell), there are no toxic fumes other then urushi
being emitted from these flutes when finished.=20
Best,
Perry
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