IDENTIFICATION:
Powder Post Beetle is a term used to describe several species of wood-boring insects.

Adult Lyctids are flattened, slender, and reddish-brown to black, varying from 1/32 to 1/8 inch long. The basal abdominal segment is long, and the antenna bears a club of only two segments. The head is visible from above. Mature larvae are C-shaped, slightly hairy with three pairs of spine-like legs, and are yellowish-white with a brown head. The frass is fine flour or talc-like and loosely packed in tunnels. Large quantities often fall out at exit holes and cracks.

Adult Anobiids

Adult Anobiids have slender, cylindrical bodies, are reddish-brown to nearly black and range from 1/16 to 1/8 inch long. In most species, the head is bent downward. The widest point of the thorax is slightly forward of the base, tapering backward and appearing as a rough, diamond-shaped outline. Larvae are C-shaped and nearly white except for a dark head. The frass is fine to coarse, pellet-shaped, usually a gritty quality and packed loosely in tunnels. There also is a small amount of frass around the exit holes.

Adult Bostrichids

Adult Bostrichids are 1/32 to 3/8 inch long, are cylindrical in most species, and are dark brown or black, with a roughened thorax. Antennae bear a club of three distinct segments. The head is usually not visible when viewed from above. Larvae are C-shaped; the body segments immediately behind the head capsule are much wider than the body segments at the rear. The frass is fine to coarse, tightly packed and tends to stick together.

LIFE CYCLE AND HABITS:
Lyctids attack only large-pored hardwoods such as oak, ash, hickory and mahogany. They attack "seasoned hardwood" and sapwood timbers found in woodwork molding, window and door frames, plywood, flooring, structural wood, furniture, tool handles and firewood. Pine and soft woods are not normally attacked. Adult Beetles can emerge from wood stored in the home and infest structural wood or furniture. Lyctids rarely infest wood older than five years. Infestations usually result from wood that contained eggs or larvae when placed in the home. The wood could have been improperly dried or stored. Adult exit holes are round and 1/32 to 1/16 inch in diameter. Larvae cause the damage.

PREVENTION:
Most Powder Post Beetles are introduced into homes in lumber or finished wood products (e.g., furniture, paneling or flooring). Lumber which has been improperly stored or dried should not be used, particularly if beetle exit holes are present. Many of the most serious infestations arise from clients who used old lumber from a barn or woodpile behind their house to panel a room or build an addition. Interestingly, they will only lay their eggs on bare, unfinished wood. Wood which is painted, varnished, waxed or similarly sealed is generally safe from attack provided no unfinished surfaces are exposed. Bare wood can be protected from attack by painting or finishing exposed surfaces. Beetles emerging from finished articles such as furniture were usually in the wood before the finish was applied. (Note: Beetles emerging from finished wood can, however, re-infest by laying eggs in their own exit holes; sealing the holes prevents this possibility).

Powder Post Beetles can be found in dead as well as dried and cured lumber. Damage occurs to many wood products such as rafters, joists, flooring, molding, paneling, crating, furniture, antiques, tool handles, gun stocks, fishing poles, and baskets.

Sometimes, homeowners hear rasping or ticking in the wood at night, notice a blistering appearance on the wood, see powdery frass piled below holes in the wood, find numerous round or oval exit holes at the wood surface, and even collect Powder Post Beetles around windows or lights. Mistakes are sometimes made determining if the infestation is active or non-active.