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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 59377 ***
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+                   Powder-post Beetles in Buildings
+
+                         What to Do About Them
+
+
+                  by R. A. St. George and T. McIntyre
+
+
+
+
+                          POWDER-POST BEETLES
+
+                            _in Buildings_
+
+                         what to do about them
+
+                            [Illustration]
+
+
+                            Leaflet No. 358
+
+                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
+
+
+
+
+Powder-Post Beetles in Buildings
+
+
+
+
+WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
+
+
+Powder-post beetles cause extensive damage to wood in the structure of
+buildings and to wood products used in homes.
+
+The larvae, or grubs, feed on the starch or the cellulose in wood. As
+they feed, they bore irregular tunnels through the wood. Borings left
+in the tunnels have the consistency of powder.
+
+Powder-post beetles can be controlled by applying an insecticide to the
+infested wood. How it is applied depends on the kind of beetle to be
+controlled and on the extent and location of the infestation. In some
+circumstances a spray will suffice; in others, fumigation is necessary.
+
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+  |                                                              |
+  |     COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF INSECTS DISCUSSED         |
+  |                                                              |
+  |    Southern lyctus beetle        _Lyctus planicollis_        |
+  |    Common furniture beetle       _Anobium punctatum_         |
+  |    Death-watch beetle            _Xestobium rufovillosum_    |
+  |    Old house borer               _Hylotrupes bajulus_        |
+  |    Red-shouldered shothole borer _Xylobiops basilaris_       |
+  |    Black-horned pine borer       _Callidium antennatum_      |
+  |    Bamboo powder-post beetle     _Dinoderus minutus_         |
+  |    Bamboo borer                  _Chlorophorus annularis_    |
+  |                                                              |
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+KINDS
+
+
+Powder-post beetles are divided into five groups--lyctus beetles,
+anobiid beetles, bostrichid beetles, cerambycid beetles, and cossonid
+weevils.
+
+Lyctus beetles are reddish to blackish, about 1/4 inch long, and
+slightly flattened. One common species is known as the southern lyctus
+beetle.
+
+Anobiid beetles are similar to lyctus beetles in color and size, but
+are cylindrical. The common furniture beetle and the death-watch beetle
+belong in this group.
+
+Bostrichid beetles are reddish, brown, or black; they are 1/8 to 3/4
+inch long, and cylindrical.
+
+The heads of anobiids and bostrichids are directed downward and are
+covered by a "hood."
+
+The cerambycids, also known as roundheaded or long-horned beetles,
+are blue, black, or pale yellow to reddish brown, and often bear
+distinctive markings on the head or the wing covers. They are 1/2 to
+1 inch long, and vary in shape. The old house borer belongs in this
+group. It is black, and has grayish markings on the wing covers. It is
+about 3/4 inch long.
+
+Cossonid weevils are reddish brown or black, 1/8 to 1/5 inch long, and
+oval to cylindrical. Their heads are drawn out to form a short, broad
+beak. Cossonids are the only weevils that infest wood; other weevils
+infest grain or growing crops.
+
+
+
+
+LIFE CYCLE
+
+
+The adult females lay eggs on or in wood. The eggs hatch into larvae,
+which develop as they tunnel the wood. The tunneling continues
+throughout the larval stage, which lasts for months or years, depending
+on the kind of beetle.
+
+The full-grown larvae transform to pupae, which become adult beetles.
+
+The adults of many kinds of powder-post beetles bore circular holes to
+the surface of the wood and emerge; others make oval holes. Some emerge
+in early spring; others, including the old house borer, emerge in early
+summer. Mating and egg laying follow.
+
+The life cycle of lyctus beetles varies from 3 months to 1 year,
+depending on the species and on regional differences in temperature,
+moisture, and availability of wood of high food value.
+
+The life cycle of anobiid beetles is sometimes completed in about 1
+year and sometimes in 2 years.
+
+Most of the bostrichids and cerambycids complete the cycle in about
+1 year, but a few of the latter require several years. The old house
+borer, a cerambycid, requires 5 to 7 years in the North, and less time
+in the South. In all but a few months of its life cycle, it is in the
+larval stage. Larvae 3 or 4 years old are often found in the woodwork
+of buildings only 1 or 2 years old--evidence that stored lumber is a
+source of infestation.
+
+Cossonid weevils complete the cycle in about 1 year.
+
+
+
+
+EGG LAYING
+
+
+The females lay eggs on or in wood that satisfies their egg-laying
+requirements and the food requirements of the larvae. These
+requirements differ among the species. Hence different kinds of wood
+are infested by different species of beetles.
+
+Lyctus beetles infest hardwoods. Cossonid weevils infest softwoods.
+Some anobiids, bostrichids, and cerambycids infest hardwoods, and some
+infest softwoods.
+
+For some species bark is an egg-laying requirement; for others it is
+not.
+
+Some anobiids infest moist wood containing decay organisms, which
+appear to aid development of the larvae.
+
+[Illustration: Adult of the southern lyctus beetle.]
+
+[Illustration: Adult of the old house borer.]
+
+[Illustration: Adult of the red-shouldered shothole borer, a bostrichid
+beetle.]
+
+_Cover:_ Adult of an anobiid beetle, _Xyletinus peltatus_, and pine
+sill damaged by larvae of this beetle.
+
+The porosity of the wood, the moisture content, the starch or cellulose
+content--these also relate to egg laying.
+
+The adults of some species remain on the wood from which they emerge,
+and reinfest it. Others crawl or fly to similar wood and attack it.
+
+A beetle may lay only a few eggs or as many as 60 or 70; the number
+depends on the species of beetle and on the condition of the wood.
+
+
+=Infestations in Hardwoods=
+
+Seasoned hardwoods.--Beetles that infest seasoned hardwoods
+lay eggs on or in the wood from which they emerge. Hence the same wood
+may be infested repeatedly. These beetles do not require bark for egg
+laying.
+
+[Illustration: Oak board damaged by larvae of the southern lyctus
+beetle.]
+
+Lyctus beetles lay eggs in exposed pores in the sapwood of oak, ash,
+hickory, walnut, pecan, gum, persimmon, maple, cherry, and a few other
+hardwood species. The larvae are found in hardwood flooring, furniture,
+picture frames, and trim.
+
+Anobiid and cerambycid beetles lay eggs in crevices on the surface of
+the wood; cerambycids also lay eggs in emergence holes.
+
+Bostrichid beetles that bore into seasoned hardwoods often bore
+chambers at the sides of their tunnels and lay eggs in them.
+
+Unseasoned hardwoods.--Bostrichids that infest green and
+seasoning hardwoods lay eggs in pores leading from the entrance
+tunnels. The red-shouldered shothole borer is one of these. Bostrichids
+frequently attack bark-covered wood. They usually do not reinfest the
+wood from which they emerge.
+
+
+=Infestations in Softwoods=
+
+Seasoned softwoods.--Some kinds of beetles infest seasoned
+softwood lumber used in the structure of buildings.
+
+Certain of the bostrichids require bark for egg laying. They infest
+lumber that has bark on the edges. Such lumber is often used in
+framing, subflooring, and roofing. The females lay eggs in the bark.
+The larvae of some species complete their development in it; others go
+to the adjacent wood to do so. The adult females may reinfest the wood
+from which they emerge.
+
+Other beetles that infest seasoned softwoods do not require bark
+for egg laying. Among them are the old house borer and the cossonid
+weevils. The females lay eggs in crevices in the wood. They may infest
+the same wood repeatedly.
+
+The old house borer infests framing and subflooring. It is found in old
+and new construction and in stored lumber. Cossonid weevils are found
+in pine flooring, baseboards, wall stops, and roof trusses.
+
+Unseasoned softwoods.--The beetles that infest green and
+seasoning softwoods include several cerambycids--for example, the
+black-horned pine borer--and a few bostrichids. Most of these beetles
+require bark for egg laying. The adult females usually do not reinfest
+the wood from which they emerge; they seek other unseasoned wood and
+lay eggs in the bark.
+
+[Illustration: 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.
+
+[Illustration: 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.
+
+Powder-post beetles damage wood by tunneling and by cutting surface
+holes.
+
+Tunneling is done by the larvae of all kinds of powder-post beetles,
+and by adult bostrichids and cossonid weevils. The larvae of anobiid
+beetles leave elongate pellets of excreted wood in their tunnels.
+Other larvae leave powderlike borings. Severely damaged wood becomes a
+crumbly mass of pellets or of borings, and sometimes has a honeycombed
+appearance.
+
+Since the insects do most of their tunneling in sapwood, structural
+damage is rare in large timbers.
+
+Surface holes mar the appearance of wood. Those most commonly seen are
+made by adult beetles when they emerge from the wood. Those made by
+many of the smaller beetles are about 1/8 inch in diameter. They give
+wood the appearance of having been hit by buckshot, and are called
+shotholes. Larger beetles make holes 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter.
+
+Emergence holes made by the old house borer are oval. The lengthwise
+measurement is about 1/4 inch.
+
+The larvae of some species, including the lyctus beetles, make holes to
+the surface of the wood and expel borings through them. The larvae of
+the old house borer seldom pierce the surface; they pack their borings
+behind them.
+
+
+
+
+DETECTION
+
+
+Aside from observing tunneled wood, there are several ways of detecting
+powder-post beetle damage.
+
+You may see surface holes, or borings that have been ejected from them.
+The borings may be in piles near the holes or, where timbers overhead
+are attacked, they may be on the floor below.
+
+You may see adult beetles crawling on the wood.
+
+In quiet surroundings you may hear a rasping or ticking sound that is
+made by tunneling larvae. This is the best way to detect larvae of the
+old house borer. Their ticking is sometimes audible several feet from
+where they are working. By determining the source of the sound and
+by probing the wood with a sharp tool, you can locate the tunnels. A
+further aid is to look for blistered wood.
+
+Sometimes the larvae of cerambycid beetles can be heard working beneath
+bark on green or partially seasoned wood. They frequently are found in
+firewood. They resemble the old house borer, but they have different
+habits and do not infest seasoned wood. When the adults emerge,
+they seek more green wood to attack. If they cannot escape from the
+building, they die in a few days.
+
+
+
+
+WHAT TO DO
+
+
+Consider whether the control problem is one that you can handle
+yourself or whether it is one that requires the services of a
+pest-control operator.
+
+If you have a severe infestation, or one that is behind paneled or
+plastered walls, or in some other hard-to-reach place, it may be that
+only an experienced pest-control operator with the proper equipment can
+do a satisfactory job.
+
+If the infestation is light and easy to reach, you may be able to
+handle the control job yourself. Spraying or brush-coating the wood
+with an insecticide may suffice.
+
+If wood has been so badly damaged that its structural strength is
+impaired, it should be replaced. Coordinate the repair work with the
+control work.
+
+
+=Spraying or Brushing=
+
+Beetles that make numerous small holes in the surface of wood are
+controlled by saturating the wood with a deodorized kerosene, such as
+deobase or ultrasene, which contains either 5 percent DDT, 2 percent
+chlordane, 0.5 percent dieldrin, or 0.5 percent lindane.
+
+With 1 gallon of any of these materials you can treat at least 100
+square feet of wood surface. Use no more of the material in a single
+application than is needed to wet the surface. Repeat the application
+until the wood is saturated. Apply with a garden sprayer or a
+paintbrush.
+
+The treatment is also effective against infestations in furniture and
+other wood products.
+
+For best results in treating any kind of material, first remove the
+finish. This is especially desirable when you treat a large area, such
+as a floor, but it may not be desirable when you treat ornamental
+products. Where an infestation in a floor is so small that removal of
+the finish is undesirable, go ahead and treat the floor, but do not
+walk on it until it has dried. The drying takes several hours.
+
+The old house borer and other beetles that do not make entrance
+holes in the surface of the wood can also be controlled by surface
+applications of these chemicals. Larger quantities must be used,
+however, especially where thicker wood is concerned, such as floor
+joists, studs, and roof rafters. For such materials, at least 1.5
+pints of the insecticide per cubic foot of wood is needed to reach the
+beetle larvae. This is equivalent to treating the exposed surfaces of 7
+linear feet of a 2- by 10-inch floor joist, 12 feet of a 2- by 6-inch
+roof rafter, 18 feet of 2- by 4-inch studding, or 12 square feet of
+subflooring. Even with this thorough treatment, it may take from 3
+weeks to 3 months before all the larvae are reached and killed.
+
+The homeowner can best apply such a quantity of insecticide by using
+a sprayer or a pint-size plastic wash bottle of the squeeze type,
+equipped with a tube that will produce a pinpoint stream. This makes it
+possible to apply small enough quantities to cover the surface without
+causing the liquid to run off. Repeated applications at different
+times are necessary for complete absorption by the wood and effective
+penetration. A pest-control operator can obtain results quickly by
+injecting the chemical under pressure through boreholes spaced at short
+intervals in the infested wood.
+
+
+=Slow-Diffusion Method=
+
+Where pressure equipment is not available and you want to use the
+bore-hole or slow-diffusion method on isolated infestations in wood
+that is readily accessible, you can use the following procedure:
+
+1. Bore a downslanting hole about 1/2 inch in diameter and 1 inch deep
+into the wood near the place where a larva is working.
+
+2. Insert a tight-fitting metal or glass tube in the hole. Let about
+1/4 inch of the tube project.
+
+3. Place one end of a rubber tube over the projecting portion of the
+metal or glass tube, and connect the other end with a funnel. The
+funnel should be supported so that it will stay in place until the
+treatment has been completed.
+
+4. Pour insecticide into the funnel. Use any of the preparations
+mentioned in the discussion of spraying and brushing. Leave the
+equipment in place about 48 hours, or until the insecticide is taken
+up. The insecticide flows into the infested wood, is absorbed for a
+distance of several inches around the hole, and reaches and kills the
+larva.
+
+If several larvae are working in places as much as 18 inches apart,
+individual treatment is needed.
+
+
+=Fumigation=
+
+Treatment of a heavy infestation of powder-post beetles by spraying
+or brushing or by the slow-diffusion method is impractical where the
+wood is hard to reach; particularly when it is located behind plastered
+walls or covered by paneling or insulation.
+
+Such an infestation can be controlled by fumigation--_but this work
+must be done by a licensed fumigator_.
+
+Hydrocyanic acid gas or methyl bromide gas is used in fumigating. Each
+is very poisonous, and heavy dosages have to be used.
+
+After fumigation, the building must be aired to make it safe for
+reoccupancy. The fumigating and the airing require 2 to 4 days.
+
+Fumigation methods of the "home-remedy" type--such as burning sulfur
+candles--are ineffective because the fumigant does not penetrate the
+infested wood.
+
+
+
+
+PRECAUTIONS
+
+
+The insecticides mentioned in this leaflet are poisonous to people and
+to animals. Keep them where children and pets cannot reach them. Do not
+let them come in contact with the body. When applying them, wear rubber
+gloves, a cellulose acetate type of face-guard, and a rubber or leather
+apron. When spraying an overhead area, do not stand directly under it.
+
+Guarding against explosions.--Apply a coarse spray. It is
+effective and safe to use. A concentrated fine mist is ineffective and
+may explode in the presence of a spark or flame. Do not smoke while
+spraying. Shut off pilot lights.
+
+Pressure.--In spraying, use only enough pressure to wet the
+surface of the wood. Too much pressure may cause spray to splash onto
+the body. If you apply the insecticide in an enclosed place, make sure
+that the air can circulate freely. Keep doors and windows open; if
+necessary, use a fan. The purpose is to prevent odors from accumulating
+in the building.
+
+If you treat a floor that has a finished ceiling under it--for example,
+the floor of a second-story room--avoid applying too much material. If
+you do, it may run through to the ceiling and cause a stain. Removal of
+the floor finish before applying the insecticide makes it unnecessary
+to apply a large amount; the wood absorbs most of it.
+
+If you apply the oil solution to parquet flooring, do it very lightly.
+If you apply too much, the oil may dissolve the asphalt in which the
+flooring is set. The dissolved asphalt may stain the floor. Around the
+edges of the floor, it may "creep up" and damage the walls.
+
+If you have applied insecticide with a garden sprayer, rinse out the
+tank and hose before putting the sprayer away. This prevents the
+gaskets from shriveling and keeps oil from getting on plants the next
+time the sprayer is used in the garden.
+
+Food cabinets.--In treating a food cabinet, do not use an
+insecticide because it might contaminate food. Use deodorized kerosene
+alone. It has little odor and evaporates quickly. Take the cabinet
+outdoors to treat it, and leave it there until the kerosene odor
+disappears.
+
+Fumigation.--The fact that fumigation work must be done by a
+licensed operator is stated on page 7.
+
+Only isolated buildings can be safely fumigated. If an apartment, a
+row house, or part of a duplex were fumigated, the gas might penetrate
+walls and kill persons in an adjoining unit.
+
+Methyl bromide gas is odorless, but in the presence of articles having
+a high sulfur content, or containing animal matter, sponge rubber, or
+iodized salt, a chemical change takes place and a garliclike odor is
+apt to be given off later. Before this gas is used, see whether such
+articles are in the building; if they are, remove them. This need not
+be done if hydrocyanic acid gas is used. However, hydrocyanic acid gas
+tarnishes silver and spoils unexposed photographic film; before it is
+used, remove silver and film.
+
+
+
+     Prepared by R. A. St. George and T. McIntyre, entomologists,
+
+          Division of Forest insect Research, Forest Service
+
+               Washington, D.C. · Revised November 1959
+
+
+                 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1959
+
+
+
+     For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
+          Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price 5 cents
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber Note
+
+
+Illustrations moved to prevent splitting paragraphs.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of USDA Leaflet 358: Powder-Post Beetles
+in Buildings, by R. A. St. John and T. McIntyre
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 59377 ***