4 Insects That Can Damage The Wood In Your Home
Insects can become a nuisance for homeowners. But when those insects are the type that eat or damage wood, they become much more than just a nuisance. If you have noticed damaged wood in your home, you may have an insect infestation. Identification of the insects is the first step to getting rid of them.
The following four wood-damaging insects will infest the wood in a house when conditions are right.
1. Wood borers
The wood borer that is to blame for damage to wood in both old and new homes is the house borer. A wood borer infestation starts when an adult female beetle enters structural wood via a crack or crevice and lays its eggs. Once hatched, the larvae then begin to feed on the wood, staying close to the surface as they do.
Once the larvae mature into adult beetles, they exit wood via oval-shaped holes. However, in dry wood, wood borers can take up to 15 years to mature into adults. If you see oval holes with wood shavings below them, you likely have a wood borer infestation.
2. Powder post beetles
Powder post beetles are similar to wood borers because the adult beetles lay their eggs on or inside wood. The larvae then feed on the wood from the inside until they mature into adults. The surest sign that you have a powder post beetle infestation is tiny holes in a wooden surface. Adult beetles can also dig through painted or varnished wood.
3. Carpenter ants
Unlike the rest of the insects on this list, carpenter ants don't eat wood. Instead they build their nests inside damp or rotten wood, constructing galleries in the wood. Because carpenter ants use damp wood for their nests, they usually build their nests in wood near bathrooms, roofs, sinks, and around door and window frames.
You can identify these pests by the holes they leave, which are usually surrounded by sawdust and even dead insects.
4. Termites
By far the most damaging wood pest of all the insects on this list is the termite. The most destructive termites are subterranean termites and Formosan termites, both of which attack structural wood from the soil. If these pests are to blame for the weakened wood in your home, you'll see mud tubes snaking from wooden structure to wooden structure.
Drywood termites also attack homes. These termites are less destructive than other termite species, and you can identify them by the holes they leave in wood and the sawdust below those holes.
All of these insects can cause costly damage to your property if left unchecked. If you find evidence of these wood-damaging insects on your property, call a pest control service today for a wood-destroying organism inspection. With the help of professionals, you can identify, treat, and remove an infestation before any further damage occurs.
