Powder-Post Beetles in Buildings: What to Do About Them

by R. A. St. George; T. McIntyre

Larva of the old house borer. Enlarged about 5×.

Infestations in Bamboo

Certain species of bostrichid, cerambycid, and lyctus beetles infest bamboo products such as furniture. Venetian blinds, draw drapes, baskets, fans, and fishing poles.

Plant-quarantine inspectors at United States ports of entry often intercept the beetles in bamboo products imported from the Far East. Among the beetles intercepted are the bamboo powder-post beetle, a bostrichid, and the bamboo borer, a cerambycid. These beetles and the lyctus beetles may reinfest the material from which they emerge.

Pine floor joist damaged by larvae of the old house borer

DAMAGE

The increase in building activity that followed World War II brought the destructiveness of powder-post beetles to widespread attention. The more buildings, the more damage.

The old house borer is rapidly spreading over the eastern half of the United States, and is found more and more in lumber used in new construction. It is becoming one of the most serious pests of wood in buildings.