INSECTS AND RODENTS Termites & Other Wood Destroyers Powder Post Beetles | Powder Post Beetles |
Powder Post BeetlesPowderpost beetles infest both softwoods like pine and fir, and hardwoods like oak and maple. Hardwood flooring and cabinets can be damaged as well as structural beams and moldings made of softwood. The common name “powderpost” reflects the fact that over time these beetles can reduce sound wood to very fine powder or pellets. Adult beetles are small (1/8" – ¼"), dark brown to black and cylindrical. Most of their life is spent as larvae (grubs) tunneling in wood. When development is complete, the mature adult beetle chews its way out of the wood, leaving behind a small, circular hole. Larvae feed on the starch packed inside wood cells, unlike termites that feed on the wood and carpenter ants that only excavate in the wood. In the process of mining for starch, larvae destroy the wood’s structure making it weak. The three (3) main Powderpost beetles that are encountered in Ohio are the Lyctids, Anobiids and the Bostrichids. Damage by PPB's appears as "shotgun" holes in wood. The real damage is below surface. Treatments: Surface applications and wood injections of borate solutions or fumigation! True Powder Beetles
Lyctidae: Lyctids infest hardwoods with large pores, such as oak, walnut, ash, and hickory. Lyctids attack newly milled lumber which has a high starch content. Old wood that drops below 3% starch is not bothered. Death Watch Powder Post Beetles
Anobiidae: Anobiids infest the sapwood of both hardwoods and softwoods. Adult Anobiids are very small 1/16" to 5/16", are reddish brown and unlike the Lyctids, its head is not visible from above. It creates a rapping sound in the wood, thus it is called the Deathwatch Beetle. False Powder Post Beetles The Bostrichid is large 1/8" up to 1" and is reddish brown to black. Adults bore into wood to deposit eggs creating large exit and entry holes. Their galleries are packed tightly with frass, often found in furniture. Powder-Post Beetle Damage
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