Overview

Powderpost beetles or more generally called woodborers are wood infesting beetles, the larvae of which bore holes inside wood through their feeding activities.

The ones commonly associated with damage to furniture, structural timbers and wood packaging materials falls into four families: Lyctidae, Bostrichidae, Anobiidae, and Cerambycidae. Adults do little damage; it is the larva that does the major part of the damage in wood through their feeding activities. They go through a complete metamorphosis: adults, eggs, larvae and pupae.

These beetles show preference for wood of different moisture content, varying from as low as 6% to as high as 30% moisture. Adults of most species lay their eggs in cracks and crevices found on wood, with some laying their eggs after boring a short distance into the timber. As soon as the eggs hatch, larvae burrow into the wood where they live and tunnel for a year or more. They digest cellulose from the wood.

The larvae of most species are slightly curved and wrinkled, with tiny hairs on the body. When larvae are ready to pupate, they move closer towards the wood surface. Here, pupation takes place, and adults later emerge by burrowing holes towards the wood surface. Exit holes are round and vary in size from 1/32 – 1/8 inches depending on the species. Some species can re-infest existing wooden structures.

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