{"id":743,"date":"2019-03-20T16:35:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T23:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gctermitecontrol.com\/gcblog\/?p=743"},"modified":"2022-03-04T09:25:48","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T17:25:48","slug":"true-powder-post-wood-infesting-beetles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gctermitecontrol.com\/gcblog\/true-powder-post-wood-infesting-beetles","title":{"rendered":"True Powder Post Wood Infesting Beetles"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"True<\/p>\n

Powder post beetles and other wood boring beetles are second to termites in the destruction of structures made from timber (wood). The most common of them in the United States are from the family Lyctidae from the order Coleoptera, regularly called the True Powder Post Beetles. They get their name from the powder-like fecal matter that its larval leaves behind when eating wood. Often this \u201cpowder\u201d is one of the first noticeable signs of the infestation, which is being pushed out by emerging adults or simply falling out of the wood via the exit holed due to gravity.<\/p>\n

Biology & Identification<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lyctid beetles on their larvae stage only attack hardwoods like maple, oak, ash, and hickory. Firewood is very commonly attacked and is as well one of the main ways in which beetles can get into the property. An infestation will begin when the female lays her eggs in the pores of the wood, by inserting her ovipositor to a depth between 3 to 6 millimeters. She can lay around 50 eggs and will take around 45 seconds on laying each one, usually in the Spring but it can occur year-round on the interior of structures. Eggs will take about 10 days to hatch, the larva will then proceed to exit the wood by eating its way out regularly following the grain of the lumber. As it reaches maturity, it will create a pupal chamber about 1\/8\u201d from the surface on which it will transform into an adult. Within 2 \u2013 3 weeks it emerges as an adult beetle to continue the cycle, there may be multiple generations in one structure at any given time. Adult beetles can be identified by their small size (2 to 6 mm in length), their flatten shape and they are reddish brown to black color.<\/p>\n

Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are three (3) main methods of controlling Lyctid or Power Post Beetles:<\/p>\n