Powderpost Beetles
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Powderpost beetle is a term used to describe several species of small (1/8-3/4 inches long), wood-boring insects which reduce wood to a fine, flour-like powder. Damage is done by the larvae as they create narrow, meandering tunnels in wood as they feed. Infestations are discovered after noticing small, round "shotholes" in the wood surface. These are exit holes where adult beetles have chewed out of the wood after completing their development. Newly-emerged adults mate and lay eggs on or below the surface of bare (unfinished) wood. Homeowners are more likely to see damage than the beetles, themselves, because the adults are short-lived and are active mainly at night.
DAMAGE AND CONCERNS
Infestations usually begin in moist, poorly-ventilated areas such as crawl spaces, basements, garages and utility sheds. Under favorable conditions of moisture and temperature, infestations may spread upwards into walls and upper levels of the structure, including furniture. Infestations may occur as a result of using infested lumber, or from beetles flying in from outdoors or being carried in on firewood. Infestations develop slowly, but wood can be reinfested year after year.
CONTROL
Lumber which
has been improperly stored or dried should not be used, particularly
if beetle exit holes are present. Many of the most serious infestations
of ppb result from people using old lumber from a barn or woodpile behind
their house to panel a room or build an addition.
