repairing insect damage

I hope someone can give me some advice. I have a pine log that is full of what appears to be insect tunnels only they are filled with saw dust( first photo). While doing my final shaping, half of his eye fell off. I treated the area with Elmer's wood stableizer but am not happy with the result. It has the same consistancy as wood glue and does not penetrate real well. The more I get into this carve the more unstable the wood seams to get. I'm afraid half of this guy's face is going to fall off. at this point, I just want to get him stuck together and I'll paint the details on later. I've never used the spar varnish but it seams like it might give a good hard coat. I need something that is liquid enough to soak into the saw dust and then harden. This carving is 6 ft. tall and I've got a lot of hours invested in it. I would like to save it. Any suggestion are welcome.

Sounds like wood beatles or termites, you may have to treat the threat first.

I agree, call a termite or pest treatment company & ask for suggestions because your project is very small scale to what they're used to, or not. Plugging up the holes won't help. You'd want to treat the wood so that it no longer tastes good to those darn wood borers. Then you can continue on carving it, with a heavy duty filtered mask though.
Good luck!

Know any one with a walk in freezer ?
Restaurant or bar ?

Put some large garbage bags over it, seal it up, and set off a few bug bombs. The freezer is the better way. Gotta kill the bugs before you think about repair. Bug holes can add a little character!

Thanks guys but that is not what I wanted to hear. I was assuming the critters were no longer active since the dust was not like powder but gummy and sticking together. Another reason was that I recently had an infested log and the bugs were kicking saw dust out of the holes. This log did not have that. I would leave it out this winter but some years we go without getting a hard freeze. I believe this log was outside last winter which was very cold for us so maybe they're dead. Guess I'll have to make some phone calls. Thanks again.

Amate, you Can't assume the worms are inactive, they will live in that wood a long time. When or if you find one, you'll see a worm anywhere from an inch to a few inches long and they have a kind of Hammer looking head that's all jaws. They live in the wood until they finally change into the beetle type that laid the eggs under the bark. Killing them is difficult, Freezing them is the best way. Wrap a couple plastic bags around him and stick him into a freezer large enough to hold him and leave him there a couple days at least. The exterminators can put him into a room for fumigation items but they charge an arm and a leg and aren't always effective.
Kerosene of diesel fuel works too but you gotta soak it in really deep.

IF you Don't kill them, they will come out some day and if the tiki is sitting on a wood floor they will eat right into it or what ever else wood it's standing on.
I've met these little bastards before and also had a customer meet them after they ate into their TV....

You were asking about repairing the damage I'm guessing. I think it adds character, to a point.
Wood filler wont take stain so small fills can be noticed & a big old tiki could need to have the center filled if your saving him.
In your case I'd scuff over it & call it a battle scar or as Ben would say " carve deeper".

[ Edited by: wplugger 2010-10-03 04:53 ]