First, it's important to understand the impact of "humidity" and moisture relative to powderpost beetles. In general, the reduction of moisture can reduce and in some cases eliminate infestations. But this is rare. To illustrate this point, we have had plenty of customers move west to the dessert. As you know, this region is about as arid as it can be. One would think infested furniture brought to this region would somehow be "cured" of any beetle infestation if the lack of moisture was important. Well, turns out it didn't matter much. Furniture which was infested remained infested. There was no discernable difference following the move and in the end, treatments were needed to eradicate the beetle problem. The point I'm trying to make here is that the reduction or increase in moisture won't much matter in the short term if you have a piece which is infested or showing signs of activity. In fact, it won't much affect eggs or pupae. Larvae deep inside infested wood won't be affected by it and in the end, the biggest impact felt by changing moisture levels will probably be the emerging adults. No doubt they do better when it's moist and humid. They'll live longer and therefore stand a better chance of both surviving poor living conditions as well as laying more eggs. But as our POWDERPOST BEETLE ARTICLE explains, the adults don't do any damage so they shouldn't be the focus of your treatments anyway. To solve any beetle problem you need to get stop the eggs and larvae.

As for the adults posing a threat to other parts of the home and/or furniture in the home; this is always a concern and the main reason why you need to treat current infestations. Stopping larvae from feeding and pupating means there will be an end to the adults and that in of itself will prevent the problem from spreading.

I'm not sure of your question "Can applying Bora Care drive live adults out into our home?"; whether you treat or not won't affect when pupae are ready to hatch and exit. In other words, they'll do so whether you treat or not. And yes, you can most definitely feel safe about using BORACARE anywhere in the home. It's about as "green" of a product you can find using only boron as the active. If you follow the safety guidelines explained in our Safety Video which is on the Boracare page, you'll be fine using in these areas. It has no odor, is easy to work with once mixed and it's presence won't be detectable once applied to any wood which accepts the treatment.

As for what was the source of the infestation; that's anyone's guess.  I strongly suspect the mahogany table had them from the time you first got it. As our article explains, it's quite common for some species of beetles to not emerge for years but this is all dependent upon their species life cycle. Personally, my "preference" for hardwood floors or furniture with exit holes is to leave them since I like the look. I also feel it adds character to the material since it's only natural to have them as they would in the wild. Plugging and filling it with something to me takes away from the wood but this is obviously a personal decision.

In the end our suggestions are what we explain in our article; treat the lumber/wood/furniture/structure you know is infested. Similar wood in the home should be closely monitored since adults will be looking for a good site to lay eggs and will generally tend to choose wood of the same species if available. Treat anything you can that's exposed and vulnerable and keep a look out for new exit holes anywhere in the home.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Powder Post Beetle Control Article:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control

Boracare:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page52.html

Thank you for your help.

If you read the section of our POWDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE which discusses how to treat furniture, you'll see you have several options. In the article you'll learn that right now there are adults emerging and in fact they're not the ones doing the bulk of the damage. The real problem is the larvae in the wood which are eating away deep inside the piece. To stop the cycle you must reach them with a poison that can penetrate the wood through and through. Fumigation is most certainly one way to treat and it can be done by a service company for hire. However, this process is quite costly and many times will far outweigh the value of the piece. If you find this to be the case here you might decide to do some treating yourself. In the long run this will be a fraction of the cost compared to fumigation but it will require some effort on your part.

The products we recommend for such treating yourself include the JECTA GEL and the BORACARE. Neither will hurt the furniture finish and both will soak throughout the wood which will effectively kill feeding larvae. Jecta Gel is injected through holes you'll need to drill in discrete locations. Once injected, the gel will permeate through the wood and if done properly, provide a uniform barrier through which the larvae won't be able to eat.

The Boracare is easier to apply but will be limited to only being applied to sides of the piece which are untreated and don't have any finish. In other words, you cannot apply it over urethane or any other outside finish that will "block" it from penetrating. So you'll have to use it on sides "inside" the piece or underneath/bottom sides which are still unfinished and raw. Boracare is odorless and can be either sprayed or painted on so it's easy to work with. In some cases a few applications will be needed to insure deep penetration but when done right, the job can last for many years if not indefinitely.

Here are direct links to the products and information mentioned above:

Furniture Treating:  http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control#furniture_beetle_treatments

Jecta Gel:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page156.html

Boracare: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page52.html

There are many species of beetles that might find your old furniture appealing. I'm assuming you mean the wood part of your furniture; if the problem is with the fabric of the piece you'll need to refer to our CARPET BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE.

Now if your current problem involves the wood of your furniture, it's most likely some kind of wood infesting beetle. There are many species that will eat most any kind of wood. Additionally, old damage can sometimes become quite obvious after it's been able to sit out and dry through and through. Seeing holes doesn't mean you have new activity but in many cases treating will be the right thing to do. This insures you won't sustain extensive damage due to negligence and ignoring sure signs.

As explained in our POWEDERPOST BEETLE CONTROL ARTICLE, the JECTA GEL is ideally formulated for treating small pieces of wood with a finish. Exit holes and newly drilled holes in discreet locations will many times enable you to get the wood treated without having the remove the old finish or patina. Jecta Gel will soak into the wood and from small injections you're able to get a lot of wood effectively protected. When done properly, these applications won't be visible.

Additionally, the treatment won't have any adverse effect on the old finish. Jecta Gel is odorless and safe for the piece. It won't pose a hazard to anyone that uses the furniture. And though you need to make placements throughout the piece, it won't really matter if you treat from the "inside" or "outside". If the piece is only 1-2 inches thick, a treatment from one side will do the job. Just pick discreet out of site sections to make the gel placements and you should get adequate coverage.

Here are direct links to the products and information mentioned above:

http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/carpetbeetle.html

http://www.powderpostbeetles.com/powderpost-beetle-control#furniture_beetle_treatments

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page156.html

jonathan

www.bugspray.com