The last article was on the anobiid beetle which is, in my experience, the wood borer that causes the most damage. The anobiid is often, mistakenly, referred to as the powderpost beetle. I hear that term so much, that I decided to write a blog on the true powderpost beetle.
The true powderpost beetle, the lyctid, is attracted to hardwood and is most often found in picture frames, hardwood furniture and -- probably the worst -- hardwood floors. Unlike the usually invisible anobiid beetle -- that is probably working under the house in the soft woods -- the lyctid is a more likely suspect to be seen inside a home.
Anobiid larvae will live in wood for years, five or more. The lyctid, on the other hand, develops faster. Larvae will pupate, and adults will emerge, from the wood in about a year. Since these beetles usually come out of furnishings inside the house, they are more likely to be seen -- flying up at lights. A wood floor with lyctid damage, and the fine talc-like frass from the species, is shown below. The lyctid exit holes are small, pin-sized versus BB-sized with the anobiid.
A blown-up photo of a lyctid adult is shown below. The anobiid beetle is tiny, but the lyctid is smaller still.
The powderpost beetle, here in the Pacific Northwest, is a visitor, an import. Hence we find it in hardwood brought in from other areas such as the southern USA. Realizing that the pest is not native, obviously, it would be more prevalent in some areas of the country than it is here in the maritime northwest. In some parts of the country, the lyctid is a permanent resident.
From research I have done, when this pest is present in a hardwood floor, the best treatment might be taking up the floor and throwing it away. The pest is difficult to treat, being inside the home and down in the wood. Also, when the beetles do exit, they leave the distinctive holes that are unattractive. It looks like bugs are eating up the flooring. OOOOps -- I guess they are.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA Home Inspections
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I guess they are not as bad as the termites we get here. A larger colony of termites can literally bring down a home in 2 years if left unchecked.
Steve--We get ants in MN...They can eat the beams of houses rather quickly too. Guess no area is free of nasty wood eating bugs. Home inspectors can save people a lot of heartache as they will know what to look for!
Randy,
Seems to me you have Formosan termites don't you. They are the worst of the worst.
Basically wood is designed to be eaten and returned to nature----we just don't like it when it is our houses and furniture----so we try to put it off as long as possible.
Charlie,
This still does not excluse you for taking bites out of the floor.
TAKE UP THE FLOOR AND THROW IT AWAY!!! Surely you jest. I'd hate to think of what the seller would say with a report like that given to a buyer!
Howdy Steven
Here in New Hampshire and Vermont, we have more of a problem with Black Carpenter Ants, than anything else. They require a damp condition for their habitat.
Barbara,
In the report I would probably state exactly what was wrong and the biology of the pest and then, as the state mandates, defer the bugs to a licensed pest control operator. I would not suggest the crowbar technique in the report. If it comes to that, the pest control expert can follow through. I was passing this information on to the AR community, based on what those in the pest control industry have told me about treating hardwood floors that have the lyctid. You cannot get down in there to kill them, cannot reasonably be done. So chemicals are usually applied on top of the surface -- not easy in a house even with safer products. You sure would not apply real toxic ones inside and these are being used less and less all the time. Frankly, if a hardwood floor is properly kiln dried, the larvae should be dead. That is how they get there, they come in the wood floor....at least up here. Not sure just how manufacturer's warranties apply to that. This is typically found in newer floors, not in old ones.
Interesting blog on these little bugs. never heard of em either.
Sean Allen
Sean,
If you want some beetles, better talk to Barbara because she obviously does not want the ones I have packaged and already mailed down to her.
Steven, your shipping bill must be high. You sent Charlie a raccoon (or was it a skunk?) by greyhound and now you are going to priority mail me some beetles. You're an exceedingly kind, kingly, and generous person.
Barbara,
The beetles were not that costly. No thanks required. The bloomin' raccoon, just shipping him down to Charlie cost a mint. Greyhound just said NO, I chose UPS. Got him wrapped and in the system. Then the darn masked bandit tore out of the carton, got loose in the UPS truck, overwhelmed the driver, and proceeded to drive the truck into a creek where it then escaped. Now UPS wants me to re-imburse the driver, pay for the truck and replace all the electronics in the packages that got wet. It was not my day. Now Charlie claims he never got the "package" and says I need to send another or he will quit speaking to me. He knows the hard luck story, it made regional TV, but he is about as flexible as a steel lamp post.
Barbara, we had three. I shipped the one. A week after his escape, now we have three again. I took this picture. Would you have any idea of how I might be able to tell if the one I sent Charlie is back, or if it is yet another one?
Barbara, much of what Steve says is true but he leaves out the most important part. The part about his part time job as a UPS driver and how he had to explain driving into the drink and loosing and damaging valuable cargo. He also knows darn well that the little fellow under the fence regognizes him and is too afraid to come out in the open. In light of this I am sure you can understand my "inflexibility":)
Charles and Steve, there you go again! (Is that a Ronald Reagan saying?) The raccoon picture is great! But I'm still thinking it was a skunk in the original package.
Now, regarding the beetles, I think they have already arrived. This old chair that was handed down to me has always had these holes in it. I've always wondered why there were tiny holes in the wood of the chair. And the chair predates the fashionable man-made distressed looking wood that had fake holes. Doc BeetleJuice, have you diagnosed my chair?
Barbara,
Planned on a skunk but the wind was blowing the wrong way, sent the bandit. Not sure honestly, that Charlie would know one from another anyway.
Are there holes like that all over, or just in that one spot. Are they white because they were filled?
They are pretty well all over it. I think the bugs have died but the white, as in the picture, was not put in as a filling. Years ago I think I saw little stuff coming out like you describe.
Barbara,
That would be wood borers. If there has been no further frass, no new holes, then they are probably long gone. Something about the chair or the environment changed....like the wood aged and no longer has the starch they like, so they died off. I do have one raccoon trained to detect live wood borers, for a fee. I can UPS ship him down.
Steve, why don't you just swing by on one of your deliveries?
Charlie,
Making fun of me gets you nowhere.