Latin: Anobium Punctatum
Common woodboring beetles are also known as wood worm or the Latin name Anobium Punctatum.
Appearance
The woodboring beetle is recognizable in its appearance. You may have seen it in your house or garden since it is a very commend type of pest in Denmark. A fully grown woodboring beetle is 3-5 mm long and the color is brown. The cover wings are characterized by visible dot stripes that makes it recognizable.
Biology and behavior
The woodboring beetle is a common guest in woodwork, dead trees, wooden posts, timber, and the like. The beetle is only seen during the warm summer months in June to august. In the end of June to the beginning of July they are especially visible and can appear in great numbers. It is during this period that the woodboring beetles gnaw their way out of their holes in which they have lain for the previous weeks. The hole is located just below the surface of the wood and it is in here the woodboring beetles start their journey through a 1-2 mm fly hole.
Shortly after the beetles have emerged from their pupae, they begin to mate. This often happens in the female’s fly hole, where the female beetle can lay between 20 and 60 eggs.
The female lays her eggs in protected areas consisting of wood. Cracks and holes in woodwork or dead trees are obvious places for laying eggs. As mentioned, she can also lay her eggs inside the fly hole. They prefer to find places with high humidity as this provides the optimal conditions for the eggs.
The eggs of the common woodboring beetle are white and from them emits an adhesive that allows the eggs to stick to the surface where they are laid. After about 3 to 4 weeks, the eggs hatch and small white woodboring beetle larvae emerges. The larvae gnaw further into the tree, as they undergo their full development.
The woodboring beetle larvae live exclusively inside their holes in the tree, where their full development takes place. The development is a slow process that normally lasts between 2 and 3 years. The development from larvae to fully grown woodboring beetle can take up to 8 years. The environment plays a major role, as humidity, temperature and the nature of the wood are some of the factors that can influence the development in both positive as well as negative direction.
The optimal temperatures are around 22 to 23 degrees and the relative humidity should preferably be around 100%, which corresponds to a water content of 30% in the wood. These conditions ensure a rapid development. If the water content in the wood is lowered to below 11%, the development of the woodboring beetle larva will cease. This is also the reason why attacks by the common woodboring beetle are rare in newer houses, as the climate indoor is healthy with a low humidity.
Damage
There is no doubt that the common woodboring beetle leaves harmful traces that are highly visible. As the larvae get bigger, they will gnaw further into the wood and thus expand their boreholes. This results in small holes in the woodwork. In the case of a powerful attack, the wood can be severely weakened.
The common woodboring beetle can settle in all types of wood and woodwork, but it is especially soft woods as well as Masonite and plywood that the woodboring beetle prefers. Fortunately, beetle larval development is slow, so there is a high probability that you can fight them before they do too much damage and the woodwork is weakened.
Prevention and pest control
The common woodboring beetle thrived best in high humidity. Therefore, you can limit the damage from them by keeping your indoor climate dry and thoroughly heated. If a piece of furniture is infested, you can place it in a dry environment where it is hot and well ventilated. Then the attack dies by itself.
If smaller objects are exposed to an attack, they can be placed in a freezer for a few days, which will stop the development of the woodboring beetle.
There are also various types of remedies for combating woodboring beetles that can be purchased at hardware stores, paint retailers, lumber merchants and so on. These products are applied with a brush or spray over a period of time until the attack has ceased.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)