Powderpost beetle
Encyclopedia
Powderpost beetles are a group of seventy species of woodboring beetle
s classified in the insect
subfamily Lyctinae. These beetles, along with spider beetle
s, death watch beetle
s, common furniture beetle
s, skin beetles, and others, make up the superfamily Bostrichoidea
. While most woodborers have a large prothorax
, powderpost beetles do not, making their heads more visible. In addition to this, their antennae have two-jointed clubs. They are considered pests
and attack deciduous trees
, over time reducing the wood to a powdery
dust. The damage caused by longhorn beetles (family Cerambycidae) is often confused with that of powderpost beetles, but the two groups are unrelated. Their larva
e are white and C-shaped.
and, given enough time, can reduce it to a mass of fine powder. Because of this behavior, they are considered pests.
while developing, feeding mainly on the starch content. Their presence is only apparent when they emerge as adults, leaving behind pinhole-sized openings, often called "shot holes". They may also leave piles of powdery frass
below. Shot holes normally range in diameter from 1/32 in to 1/8 in, depending on the species of beetle. If wood conditions are right, female beetles may lay their eggs and re-infest the wood, continuing the cycle for generations.
, including certain hardwood
s or softwood
s depending on the species. Some hardwoods are naturally immune if they have low starch content or if their pore diameters are too small for the female beetle's ovipositor
to lay her eggs in.
Wood preservatives
can be used to prevent beetle infestation. Common treatments may use boron
.
Items that can be infested by powderpost beetles include wooden tools or tool handles, frames, furniture, gun stocks, books, toys, bamboo, flooring, and structural timbers.
Woodboring beetle
The term woodboring beetle encompasses many species and families of beetles whose larval or adult forms eat and destroy wood . Larval stages of some are commonly known as woodworms.-Invasion and control:...
s classified in the insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
subfamily Lyctinae. These beetles, along with spider beetle
Spider beetle
Spider beetles are the approximately 500 species of beetles in the subfamily Ptininae of the family Anobiidae. They are sometimes considered a family in their own right, which is then called Ptinidae. Spider beetles have round bodies with long, slender legs, and lack wings. They are generally...
s, death watch beetle
Death watch beetle
The death watch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum, is a woodboring beetle. The adult beetle is long, while the xylophagous larvae are up to long....
s, common furniture beetle
Common furniture beetle
The common furniture beetle or common house borer is a woodboring beetle. In the larval stage it bores in wood and feeds upon it. Adult Anobium punctatum measure 2.7–4.5 mm in length. They have brown ellipsodial bodies with a pronotum resembling a monk's cowl .-Life cycle:Adults do not...
s, skin beetles, and others, make up the superfamily Bostrichoidea
Bostrichoidea
Bostrichoidea is a superfamily of beetles.It includes the following subgroups:* Anobiidae Fleming 1821 ** Ptinidae or Ptininae Latreille 1802 * Bostrichidae Latreille 1802...
. While most woodborers have a large prothorax
Prothorax
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites are the pronotum , the prosternum , and the propleuron on each side. The prothorax never bears wings in extant insects, though some fossil groups possessed...
, powderpost beetles do not, making their heads more visible. In addition to this, their antennae have two-jointed clubs. They are considered pests
Pest (animal)
A pest is an animal which is detrimental to humans or human concerns. It is a loosely defined term, often overlapping with the related terms vermin, weeds, parasites and pathogens...
and attack deciduous trees
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, over time reducing the wood to a powdery
Powder (substance)
A powder is a dry,thick bulk solid composed of a large number of very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms powder and granular are sometimes used to distinguish separate classes of material...
dust. The damage caused by longhorn beetles (family Cerambycidae) is often confused with that of powderpost beetles, but the two groups are unrelated. Their larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are white and C-shaped.
Name
The term "powderpost" comes from the fact that the larvae of these beetles feed on woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and, given enough time, can reduce it to a mass of fine powder. Because of this behavior, they are considered pests.
Life cycle
Powderpost beetle larvae spend months or years inside woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
while developing, feeding mainly on the starch content. Their presence is only apparent when they emerge as adults, leaving behind pinhole-sized openings, often called "shot holes". They may also leave piles of powdery frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
below. Shot holes normally range in diameter from 1/32 in to 1/8 in, depending on the species of beetle. If wood conditions are right, female beetles may lay their eggs and re-infest the wood, continuing the cycle for generations.
Target materials
Powderpost beetles feed on deciduous treesDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, including certain hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
s or softwood
Softwood
The term softwood is used to describe wood from trees that are known as gymnosperms.Conifers are an example. It may also be used to describe trees, which tend to be evergreen, notable exceptions being bald cypress and the larches....
s depending on the species. Some hardwoods are naturally immune if they have low starch content or if their pore diameters are too small for the female beetle's ovipositor
Ovipositor
The ovipositor is an organ used by some animals for oviposition, i.e., the laying of eggs. It consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages formed to transmit the egg, to prepare a place for it, and to place it properly...
to lay her eggs in.
Wood preservatives
Wood preservation
All measures that are taken to ensure a long life of wood fall under the definition wood preservation . Apart from structural wood preservation measures, there are a number of different preservatives and processes that can extend the life of wood, timber, wood structures or engineered wood...
can be used to prevent beetle infestation. Common treatments may use boron
Boron
Boron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...
.
Items that can be infested by powderpost beetles include wooden tools or tool handles, frames, furniture, gun stocks, books, toys, bamboo, flooring, and structural timbers.
External links
- Lyctinae at Fauna Europaea
- Powderpost Beetle Fact Sheet from the National Pest Management Association with information on habits, habitat and prevention
- Museum pests including powderpoke at the National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. - Powder post and other wood boring beetles from Michigan State University Extension.
- Powder Post Beetles the effect of beetles on wooden structures.