There are many species of wood boring beetles and being able to identify them based on their exit holes would be next to impossible. Some of the most common that can live and breed on dead wood include powderpost, deathwatch and false powderpost.

Powderpost beetles are amongst the more common and readily found in everything from furniture to log cabins.  They're in the family lyctidae and earned their name because of the dustlike frass which can be seen falling out of their exit holes. They mainly target hardwoods commonly used in flooring and furniture.

Deathwatch beetles are from the family Anobiidae and more closely related to drugstore and cigarette beetles. They are unique in that they commonly communicate with one another by tapping their heads on the wood they infest. This sound can many times be heard in homes where they are active and anyone experienced in pest control knows this sound.

False powderpost beetles are in the family bostrichidae and their frass is coarse compared to true powderpost beetles. Additionally, females are more likely to bore egg chambers in the targeted wood so seeing holes when this beetle is active means there could very well be a new problem developing. With most others, new holes is generally a sign adults are leaving and does not mean you have new or developing problems. False powderpost adults drilling is a difinite sign of new activity and needs to be treated aggressively to insure they don't get a foothold on the location where they're active.

Regardless of the species, any of these beetles can cause damage and should be treated seriously. The best way to take care of local activity is to treat with BORACARE. This product will penentrate the infested wood and get down deep where larvae are likely feeding. Once treated, the wood will no longer be able to host any wood destroying organism so Boracare will provide a universal protection against insects and destructive mold. This makes it the best overall product to use and effectively a one shot treatment ideally suited for when wood boring beetles are present. Treat where you see activity and any similar pieces and you should be able to get the problem erradicated before it can ever get established.

Old House Beetle Larvae

These look like Old House Borer Beetle Larvae. They commonly infest pine and many times will be found under the pine bark of pine trees. Since pine trees are commonly used in home construction, Old House Borers are frequently found in houses as explained in our POWDER POST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE. As these larvae move through the wood they are literally eating it so a some treating will be needed.

Though most people attempt to treat this problem by applying some BAYGON to the holes which are clearly seen, this rarely solves the problem. As explained in our article, these are mostly all exit holes. The real problem is undoubtedly where you can't see. Beetle larvae could be through and through the wood so it's always best to treat as much as possible with BORACARE. This product will penetrate the wood and thus get the larvae as they feed.