Identifying Common Furniture Beetle Infestation
Infesting both seasoned hardwood and softwood timbers, usually ten years or older, common furniture beetle infestations can be detected in small holes accompanied by fine powder-like sawdust, known as “frass.” As common furniture beetle larvae or woodworms grow, they eat their way to maturity, leaving tiny holes in the surfaces of wood as they exit the wood as adults.
After exiting the wood, usually from the spring to early fall, adult common furniture beetles mate and the fertilized females lay up to fifty eggs in tiny crevices in your home’s wood, as well as exit holes made by emerging adults. While common furniture beetles infest wood furniture, as their name implies, these wood boring insects can also infest damp wood as well. Homeowners, suspecting a common furniture beetle infestation should check for tiny holes and frass in crawl spaces, flooring, around window frames, wood siding and other moist areas in their homes.
Due to the long 3 to 4-year life cycle of common furniture beetles, home contractors and house timber suppliers may be unaware of the presence of common furniture beetle eggs or developing larvae deep in housing or furniture timbers. Common furniture beetle infestations may not be visible until years after the timber has become part of a home’s structural profile.
Preventing Common Furniture Beetle Infestations
Common house beetles most often infest wood that was improperly stored in damp or uncontrolled conditions. Knowledgeable home and furniture timber suppliers, as well as contractors, can take extra precautions to purchase timbers from reputable suppliers to avoid common furniture beetle infestations.