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Wood Borer Damage
in Hardwoods
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Certain beetles can damage wood floors, cabinets and
furniture -
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Summary: Larvae of
beetles in the family Lyctidae develop in wood
where they feed on starch stored in specialized
cells. These "powderpost beetles" can cause
significant damage because new generations may
re-infest the wood thus expanding the damage over
time.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist
(ret.)
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Wood borers damage hardwood
Hardwood flooring, cabinets and furniture
can be infested with the larvae of wood boring
beetles called powderpost beetles,
or woodworms, (see What
are Powderpost Beetles?) belonging to the
family Lyctidae (see photo right). There are other
insects
that damage wood (see Wood
Destroying
Insects) but only powderpost beetles are
capable of re-infesting the wood from which they
emerge. This is important because it is this
"cycle of infestation" that leads, over time, to
significant subsurface damage.
Beetle larvae bore through wood fibers in
order to find starch stored in dead wood cells. As
wood ages its starch content declines but even
well seasoned wood often has enough starch to
support powderpost beetle larvae.
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powderpost beetle larva
(enlarged) - head is toward right
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Larvae develop over months, or even years,
depending on starch and moisture content of the
wood, eventually emerging as adult beetles. Emergence
holes (sometimes called flight holes)
and powdery boring dust are usually the
first signs of a beetle infestation. Adult beetles
mate and the females lay eggs on the surface of
wood. Larvae hatch and bore into the wood to start
the cycle again. Wood flooring and cabinets can be
safely and inexpensively treated during
installation to prevent new infestation.
Treatment after installation is more complicated and
expensive but is still possible.
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Damage can be extensive
Two kinds of damage: First, emergence holes
detract from the wood's appearance. While a few
holes may add to "patina", a lot of holes can be
quite disturbing.
More serious damage occurs below the
surface. As larvae bore in search of food they
weaken the wood. Eventually the wood may be crumble.
Wood flooring that has a manufactured surface
(laminate flooring) is especially susceptible to
damage because thin laminates can easily crack if
not supported from below.
The first question is "is the
infestation active or inactive". If the damage
is old and there is no longer an active beetle
infestation then no treatment is necessary.
It is fairly common to find old damage from a beetle
infestation that had died out years before (see How to
Tell an Active From Inactive Infestation). If
you uncover an active infestation in an existing
floor you'll need to decide if treatment is
necessary and how to treat it (see Treating Powderpost Beetle
Infestations).
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