Powderpost Beetles In Your Firewood – How did they get there?

Powderpost beetles love moist and unfinished wood. Unless wood is kiln-dried, sanded and varnished, it makes a great home for them. And, who kiln-dries, sands and varnishes their firewood? That firewood pile on the back porch may be Disneyland to powderpost beetles.

Powderpost Beetles In Your Firewood – What damage do they cause?

Basically, the adult powderpost beetle lays her eggs in a small crevice on the moist, un-sanded, unvarnished wood. The eggs contain fungal spores. The eggs hatch and the larvae begin to bore into the wood, tunneling about for up to 5 years. The larvae actually feed on the fungus as it digests the wood removing toxins and making it edible.

The larvae then mature into adults, exit the wood through small pin-holes they create (a tale-tale sign). They then lay more eggs in the wood and die after a few days. The new eggs hatch and the cycle repeats until the wood literally disintegrates. Yes, you can actually pick up a chunk of firewood and watch it crumble in your hands!

 Credits: 3 Common Signs of Powderpost Beetle Damage

1. The adult powderpost beetle burrows a hole into wood and lays eggs, carrying fungal spores.
2. The larvae feeds on the fungus, which digests the wood, removing toxins.
3. The larva pupates. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Powderpost Beetles In Your Firewood – What happens when they get into your home?

Here’s the scenario: You bring a small stack of firewood from the back porch into your living room and it sits there for a month or so waiting to be burned. During this time a few adult powderpost beetles emerge and lay their eggs on some unfinished furniture in your home, or find an entrance through the wall into your home’s framework or siding. Once they’re out and about, they pretty much have the run of your home. And remember, they’re pretty small and only need a pin-hole sized opening to get to unfinished wood. Since the larvae do their work behind the scenes, and the adults pretty much only emerge at night, you might not discover the problem until things literally begin to fall apart or crumble before your eyes.

Powderpost Beetles In Your Firewood – How to keep them out of your house.

• Never store firewood inside your home.
• Bring only as much firewood into your home as you will burn immediately–the same day.

Powderpost Beetles In Your Firewood – What if it’s too late and they’re loose in your home?

If you suspect a powderpost beetle problem — for example, you notice small pinholes in your furniture or siding or foundation, or you see tiny feces, especially near areas such as wooden porches, window sills and furniture, schedule a professional powderpost beetle pest inspection. This is one problem you do not want to ignore. Powderpost beetles, left untreated, can do as much damage to wood as termites!

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Powderpost beetles are small wood-boring pests that can do great damage to your furniture and home. The problem begins when an adult powderpost beetle lays eggs in exposed wood (for example, furniture, your home’s framework, foundation or siding). When the eggs hatch, the powderpost beetle larvae do the damage. They feed on the wood, tunneling through it, for up to 5 years. The larvae then mature to adults and exit the wood looking for a mate (usually in the Spring). Powderpost beetles might live only a few days as adults. Once they find a mate, they lay eggs in the wood, die, and the cycle repeats, only with more powderpost beetles drilling around inside the wood, consuming it and turning it to dust!

Image credits: How to Tell if you Have Powder Post Beetle Damage | Sunstate Pest …

Learn more about three types of powderpost beetles, what wood each loves to eat, and how to differentiate them based on the exit holes they make in wood, and the sawdust they push out of their exit holes as they mature.

Powderpost Beetle Hunt – How do you know if you have them?

Look closely at the wood that makes up your home, and at furniture, particularly furniture in storage or furniture that you may have purchased as used or as antiques. Any wood that was imported is particularly susceptible. Why? Not all countries observe proper kiln drying standards for lumber, and powderpost beetles love lumber that is damp. If you built something using old wood that had been lying around in a garage, basement or barn, that is also susceptible. Wood siding, flooring or framing that has been stored in damp conditions without good ventilation is also susceptible.

Powderpost Beetle Hunt – What to look for?

Look for small pinhole marks in the wood. These marks represent the exit holes the powderpost beetles made after they matured into adults. You might also notice very fine sawdust, called frass, at the base of the wood. The beetles push this sawdust out of the hole as they exit.

Powderpost Beetle Hunt – What to do?

First, make sure that the powderpost beetles are still active. You can do this by cleaning up any sawdust (frass) they’ve created, then return later to see if there is new sawdust.

Second, dry out the location and provide proper ventilation around the wood. Simply by drying out the environment, you may entice the bugs to move elsewhere.

Third, sand and varnish the wood. This will prevent any powderpost beetles from laying new eggs in the wood. They can only lay their eggs in unfinished wood. However, if there are powderpost beetle larvae already in the wood varnishing the wood will not solve the problem (remember they live and tunnel about, consuming wood for up to 5 years causing a lot of damage).

Fourth, if you suspect that there might be an active infestation (living powderpost beetle larvae tunneling about inside the wood), you’ll want to contact a pest control professional. One of the most effective methods for eliminating powderpost beetles is fumigation with a pesticide that only a licensed pest exterminator is allowed to purchase.

Powderpost Beetle Hunt – This is a serious issue.

So, if you see small pinholes in that antique table you recently purchased, or in your home’s siding or framework, or in the wood you brought up from the basement to use in your latest home improvement project… don’t ignore the issue. The integrity of your home could be compromised by a powderpost beetle problem.

You don’t need to panic, as the beetles do their damage slowly over time, giving you enough time to assess the problem and take the appropriate action. For example, do the above test (sawdust cleanup) this Spring, then check again next Spring to see if there is new sawdust.

But don’t ignore the problem. As they say, “The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.” Same with the work of powderpost beetles! Leave them to do their work and they’ll eventually disintegrate the wood they infest. In addition, when you go to resell your home at some point, imagine the value dropping drastically when the buyer’s home inspector discovers a powderpost beetle problem that was left untreated. Bad Bad!

Powderpost Beetles ??
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