When I was dealing with other matters and removed a layer of old newspapers/masonite/boards, etc., under the floor of the summer cabin, I saw this on a floor beam:
and the underside of one of the floorboards:
Fine wood dust falls down when you fiddle with it:
The affected beam used to be on the outside where the rain usually comes from (you can see the old panel boards sticking down). Then the cabin was "raised a stone" and extended, so this beam now hangs suspended over the old foundation wall in the middle of the building.
So should this be an old infestation that is now "dormant," or can I somehow determine if it's active/alive?
Looks like rot, but the sawdust suggests pests as well. However, if you don't see any pests and if it is dry, I would be content with just monitoring the situation.
I assume you don't have issues with load-bearing as it appears right now...
Thank you pacman42, that makes sense! I will definitely remove the bad part then. I might still have a splash of Boracol left to brush on. The load-bearing is probably not an issue since the floor joist of the extension (undamaged) is nailed together with everything on the other side of the panel boards.
I don't see any pests. Should one see them now in August or could it be more seasonal towards spring/early summer?
The pests move around throughout the year, depending on which pests are expected.
Wood flour from beetles and larvae usually requires the timber to be moist. If it is dry, you shouldn't have any pests. However, there are pests that actively try to keep the timber moist by directing moisture. Otherwise, the prime example of directing moisture is the true dry rot fungus. However, it's not an animal, nor a plant, but belongs to the third kingdom (if you didn't know that already ;-).
If you don't find any animals when you cut into the damaged timber, I don't believe there are any animals either.
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