POWDER POST BEETLES

Description:

Lyctidae or True Powder Post Beetle is reddish brown less than 1/4" in length.

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Damage / Signs of Presence:

Significant damage can result to the structure of wood over a period of time if left untreated. The larvae do the majority of the damage burrowing into the wood and eating the cellulose of the wood. When the adult emerges they bore their way to the surface leaving a very fine powder. The holes they leave behind are about 1/8".

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Habitat:

Infest hardwoods. The female leaves an egg in a crack or an existing hole. The larvae emerge eating their way into the wood consuming cellulose. It then pupates and the adult emerges by boring a hole to the surface leaving a fine powder behind.

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Life Cycle:

Complete Metamorphosis Egg, Larva, Pupa and Adult. The process can take anywhere from 3 months to over 2 years.

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Management:

Unfinished wood can be treated with some type of borate which is used to penetrate into the wood where most of the activity occurs.