CHAPTER XV 



SOME WOOD-BORING INSECTS AND THEIR 

 RELATIVES 



Among the insect pests that frequent households are 

 certain wood-boring beetles that often become of con- 

 siderable importance. These beetles sometimes seriously 

 injure the beams and framework of houses and other 

 buildings, besides damaging furniture and books. They 

 bore long cylindrical tunnels through the wood, producing 

 the effect known as "worm-eaten." The tunnels made 

 by these small beetles in the wood are often so numerous 

 that nothing but a mere shell is left of the beam or timber 

 in which they are working. Their presence is usually 

 indicated by circular holes on the surface of the wood and 

 tiny heaps of yellow dust on the floor or ground beneath 

 the place at which they are working. The beetles are 

 not often seen because they remain hidden most of their 

 life in their burrows. 



POWDER-POST BEETLES 



Perhaps chief among these offenders are the so-called 

 powder-post beetles, particularly those of the family 

 Lyctidse. These small beetles (Fig. 133) attack stored 

 hickory, oak, ash, and other seasoned hardwood materials. 

 They are also found in rustic work and sometimes infest 

 old furniture, ornamental woodwork, and the joists, floors, 



386 



