Produced by Tom Cosmas compiled from images made available by The Internet Archive. Powder-post Beetles in Buildings What to Do About Them by R. A. St. George and T. McIntyre POWDER-POST BEETLES _in Buildings_ what to do about them [Illustration] Leaflet No. 358 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Powder-Post Beetles in Buildings WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM Powder-post beetles cause extensive damage to wood in the structure of buildings and to wood products used in homes. The larvae, or grubs, feed on the starch or the cellulose in wood. As they feed, they bore irregular tunnels through the wood. Borings left in the tunnels have the consistency of powder. Powder-post beetles can be controlled by applying an insecticide to the infested wood. How it is applied depends on the kind of beetle to be controlled and on the extent and location of the infestation. In some circumstances a spray will suffice; in others, fumigation is necessary. +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF INSECTS DISCUSSED | | | | Southern lyctus beetle _Lyctus planicollis_ | | Common furniture beetle _Anobium punctatum_ | | Death-watch beetle _Xestobium rufovillosum_ | | Old house borer _Hylotrupes bajulus_ | | Red-shouldered shothole borer _Xylobiops basilaris_ | | Black-horned pine borer _Callidium antennatum_ | | Bamboo powder-post beetle _Dinoderus minutus_ | | Bamboo borer _Chlorophorus annularis_ | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ KINDS Powder-post beetles are divided into five groups--lyctus beetles, anobiid beetles, bostrichid beetles, cerambycid beetles, and cossonid weevils. Lyctus beetles are reddish to blackish, about 1/4 inch long, and slightly flattened. One common species is known as the southern lyctus beetle. Anobiid beetles are similar to lyctus beetles in color and size, but are cylindrical. The common furniture beetle and the death-watch beetle belong in this group. Bostrichid beetles are reddish, brown, or black; they are 1/8 to 3/4 inch long, and cylindrical. The heads of anobiids and bostrichids are directed downward and are covered by a "hood."