Latin: Callidium violaceum This is probably the species that is most commonly seen in the house; though not as serious a pest as the house longhorn (p. 135). It lays eggs exclusively in softwood, and only in dead or felled timber that still has its bark on. The larvae live in the growth layer and […]
Longhorn beetles
(Latin: Cerambycidae) These are mostly quite large beetles, often with very long antennae. The larvae of the different species, which are difficult to distinguish from one another, are pale, plump, rather flat, and broadest towards the head which has powerful, dark jaws. The females lay their eggs in bark crevices or splits in the timber, […]
Trypodendron
( Latin: Xyloterus ) Timber showing the activities of this ambrosia beetle is quite commonly seen in Europe. It lives in conifers; others are associated with deciduous trees. After mating the female drives a short tunnel into the trunk of the tree, and from this she makes two or three horizontal egg-galleries, which usually follow the […]
Ambrosia beetles
These are scolytid beetles that are not completely typical for they make tunnel systems in the wood itself. The adults gnaw their way into the wood, bringing with them the spores of special fungi which germinate and grow on the insides of the tunnels. The fungi are able to digest the cellulose in the wood […]
Ash bark beetle
(Latin: Hylesinus fraxini) This is the scolytid most commonly seen in houses, where it may suddenly appear as a swarm of small, yellow-brown, spotted beetles. These will always have come from ash logs, and the round exit-holes quickly show where they have come from.
Bark beetles
(Latin: Scolytidae) These are small, cylindrical beetles with a large thorax. They can be distinguished from the furniture beetles by their angled antennae. The adults emerge in the spring and search for diseased or newly felled trees, where they gnaw their way into the bark. After mating the female makes a tunnel in the bark and […]
Pine weevil
Latin: Hylobius abietis This beetle may occasionally be found indoors, sometimes in large numbers, although it really has no reason to be there. The larvae live in tree stumps and in the roots of diseased or dead conifers. The adult beetles may cause some damage outdoors because they gnaw shoots and twigs, but indoors they […]
Weevils
( Latin: Curculionidae ) The weevils form the largest family in the animal kingdom, with more than 40,000 known species. A few of them can be regarded as minor pests of worked timber. One of the species concerned, Codiosoma spadix, is 3-4 mm long and brownish- black with a very short, powerful snout. It only attacks timber […]
Lymexylon navale
Latin: Lymexylon navale This beetle infests old oaks in the forest and oak beams in timber yards. It has, on occasion, done considerable damage in shipyards, and is especially famous from Linnaeus’ account of its depredations in the naval dockyard at Gothenburg in 1747.
Powder post beetles
(Latin: Lyctidae) These beetles are very slender, brown and 2-5 mm long. They are particularly associated with deciduous trees that have large vessels, e.g. oak, ash, walnut, and with many tropical species, as well as bamboo. The female usually lays her eggs in the sapwood in the vessels themselves. The larvae feed on the starchy […]
Fan-bearing wood-borer
( Latin: Ptilinus pectinicornis ) This species, which is not as common as the other wood-boring beetles, mainly infests deciduous trees, e.g. beech, birch, oak. It is easily recognizable by the large, comb-like antennae. Unlike the other wood-borers here the adult beetle also gnaws timber. The wood dust is very fine and similar to that produced […]
Death-watch beetle
(Latin: Xestobium rufovillosum) This is one of the larger wood-boring beetles. The female lays up to 50 eggs in April-May. In structural timber the larvae may take 5-10 years to complete their development. They pupate in the autumn and metamorphosis to the adult takes place a few weeks later. As in the preceding species the […]
Common furniture beetle
Latin: Anobium punctatum This is a very common pest of timber and furniture and is or has been present in most old houses. The adult beetles emerge during the summer months by gnawing their way out from the infected timber through circular exit-holes. It is at this time that wood dust falls out of the […]
Furniture beetles
Latin: Anobiidae The larvae of these beetles live mainly in timber. The adults are very small and brownish with an almost cylindrical body. It is typical that the thorax is arched to form a hood which almost conceals the head. The larvae of the different species of furniture beetle are soft, curved, with very small […]
Animals in timber
Timber is in many ways a remarkable material, and an understanding of its nature is essential for those who wish to use it correctly. Under certain conditions timber is one of the most durable materials known to man. In Norway, for example, timber churches built about 1000 years ago are still in use. On the […]
Booklice
Latin: Order Psocoptera The names booklice and dust lice are used somewhat indiscriminately. Booklice are light-shy insects that thrive best when the humidity is over 75%. There are several species. Some, such as Liposcelis divinatorius, have no wings and cannot fly, while others, the so-called winged booklice, e.g. Atropus pulsatorius, have small but non-functional wings. Booklice […]
Silverfish
( Latin: Lepisma saccharina) It is probably about 300 million years ago that the first animal looking somewhat like a silverfish saw the light of day. It was doubtless very widely distributed and occurred in enormous numbers, and it has been suggested that primitive animals of this type may well have been the ancestors of […]
Woodlice
( Latin: Order Isopoda) Like slugs, these familiar crustaceans prefer damp conditions. They do not normally feed on paper but if, for example, a pile of damp, mouldy newspapers is left lying on a cellar floor, woodlice will more or less destroy them.
Slugs
( Latin: genus Limax) Slugs are peaceful and. in general completely harmless animals. In very damp places they may, however, damage paper when feeding on the moulds growing on it. In wine cellars slugs often cause havoc by eating the labels off the bottles.
Animals in paper, leather and plastics
Many animals gnaw paper or cardboard, some, for example, doing this in order to get in or out of paper bags or packaging. There are, however, only a few species, such as boring beetles and silverfish, which actually feed on a diet of paper, which consists almost entirely of cellulose (see p. 107). Glazed paper […]
Precautions against infestations by pests of textiles
Clothes moths and other insects which attack textiles are, in general, shy of the light, so woollen goods that are stored away in cupboards and chests are especially at risk. However, carpet beetle larvae form an exception, for they do not go out of their way to shun the light, and they may, for example, […]
Silverfish
These are omnivorous insects which occasionally gnaw textiles. They will, for example, attack artificial, cellulose-based silk, such as the red ribbon used in Christmas decorations and in gift wrappings. Other insects which occasionally attack textiles include cockroaches and meal- worms, which sometimes feed on soiled linen. On account of their size, mice and rats often […]
Common house mite
Latin: Glycyphagus domesticus These small mites are very similar to those that occur in foodstuffs (p. 56), but under a lens they can be recognised by the long hairs at the rear end. They may occasionally occur in foodstuffs, but they are primarily found in upholstered furniture, which has been kept damp for some time […]
Spider beetles
Latin: Family Ptinidae As mentioned on p. 75 these beetles attack a little of everything and they do not go out of their way to gnaw textiles. Their gnawing activities can normally be recognized by the small, regular, round holes and the absence of silk.
Museum beetles
(Latin: genus Anthrenus) The museum beetles are somewhat like small ladybirds. However, they are not glossy, but have an attractive matt pattern formed by numerous small, black and reddish-yellow scales. The larvae, which are yellow-brown and hairy, are known as ‘woolly bears’. At the rear end they have a tuft of long hairs, which can […]
Carpet beetle
( Latin: Attagenus pellio) This beetle is easy to recognize for it has a white spot on each of the otherwise black elytra. The adults fly around outside during the summer and. land on flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen. They often find their way indoors. The eggs are normally laid in the […]
Tapestry moth
Latin: Trichophaga tapetzella This is the largest of the moths that attack textiles, and it has a tendency to• feed more on coarser materials than the other textile moths, including such things as horse hair, coarse furs and skins. Like the preceding species it thrives in humid conditions, and nowadays it is found especially in […]
Brown house moth
Latin: Hofmannophila pseudospretella This is another moth that is very similar to the clothes moth, but it is larger (up to 1.5 cm long). Under favourable conditions the female can lay 500-600 eggs and the larvae feed on many different types of material. They are found in stores of cereals and seeds and may attack […]
Case bearing clothes moth
( Latin: Tinea pellionella) Unlike the common clothes moth this is an insect which does live outside in temperate regions. For instance, it is not uncommonly found in birds’ nests. The adult case bearing clothes moth is very similar in appearance to the common clothes moth. The larvae of the case bearing moth are, however, easy […]
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