fore it is installed. 



All species must have bare wood to 

 lay their eggs on. Hardwood items in 

 a home are usually finished with paint, 

 varnish, shellac, sealer, or wax. They 



are therefore safe as long as no bare 

 wood is left exposed. Emergence of 

 adult beetles from finished hardwood 

 generally means that the infestation 

 began before the finish was applied. 



Do Attacks Ever Die Out of Their Own Accord? 



Yes, but these instances vary with 

 the beetle species, wood attacked, and 

 environmental conditions. 



In unfinished wood, attacks virtually 

 always intensify until chemicals are 

 applied. However, if holes are found 

 in a few floor joists with edges of bark, 

 and the holes are only in the bark or 

 nearby, chemical treatment is probably 



not needed. This damage probably was 

 caused by insects that attacked the 

 wood before it was milled and dried. 



Beetles emerging from finished wood 

 may reinfest it by laying eggs in their 

 own exit holes. They do not always 

 do so, it is well to keep close watch 

 for fresh holes and dust and perhaps 

 to apply precautionary treatments. 



How Long Before Damage Becomes Noticeable? 



From 3 months to 3 years or more fastest when temperatures are warm 



are required for larvae to change to and wood is moist. It also varies with 



adults and make the characteristic beetle species and the type of wood 



shotholes. Larval development is attacked. 







■ 



9 ■ 



h 





F-521295 

 These are adults— seldom seen by the home owner— of the three most destructive groups of wood- 

 destroying beetles. Left: One of the Lyctus, or true powder-post beetles, that attack recently 

 seasoned hardwood sapwood. Center: One of the anobiid beetles, which are among the most 

 common feeders on both hardwoods and softwoods within buildings. Right: The old house borer, 

 sometimes called from its antennae a longhorn borer, primarily attacks softwood framing 

 lumber. Lyctus adults are Ys to ^lg mch m length, anobiids % to % inch, and the old house 

 borer y 2 to 1 inch. 



