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Powder Post Beetles
Powder Post Beetles
Size: Less than 1/4"
Color: Reddish black
Infestation: Hardwood
Powderpost Beetle Control

Lyctids, or more commonly known as powderpost beetles, receive their names from a unique behavior that the larvae exhibits inside their galleries in the wood. The larvae will produce an extremely fine, dusty, or powder-like frass, hence their name, powderpost beetles. Powderpost beetles are all over the world, including the United States. As a matter of fact, there are actually 11 different species of powderpost beetles that can be found in the United States.

Questions & Answers : How to get rid of Powderpost beetles (14)
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Powderpost Beetle Identification

The size will range depending on the species of powderpost beetles. Generally, the powderpost beetle size will be about 1 - 7 mm long on average. The bodies of powderpost beetles are elongated and narrow. They are also flat from top to bottom. Both sides of powderpost beetles run almost parallel to each other, which means that the head, the pronotum, which is the plate-like structure that covers the thorax, and the elytra, which primarily serves to protect the hindwings, are all about equal width to each other. The color will range depending on the species. In general, they tend to be be reddish-brown to black in color.

The larvae of powderpost beetles look quite different from fully matured powderpost beetles. Depending on the species of powderpost beetles, the developed larvae are about 6mm in length. Their entire body is white in color and is curved presenting a C-shape. Powderpost beetle damage will primarily be done by the larvae as they leave behind flour-like or powder-like frass as they create tunnels in the wood as they are feeding. Most infestations are only discovered after a homeowner sees evidence of holes in the wood surrounding his property.

Powderpost Beetle Damage

Many homeowners will not notice a powderpost beetle infestation until they notice small, round holes in the wood that they have never seen before. These holes are made when a fully matured adult powderpost beetle emerges from the wood. However, much of the damage is done by larvae of powderpost beetles as they feed on the wood. All of the larvae feeding is done internally as they create tunnels, therefore, many people will not know the extent of their infestation until they actually see the holes.

Powderpost beetles prefer hardwoods over softwood because hardwoods have many pores useful for their egg laying process. Softwoods on the other hand are not as porous therefore, they tend to stay away from softwoods. As well as having a large pore size, powderpost beetles infest wood with high starch content and infest dryer woods. Some of these woods include oak wood, ash wood, mahogany wood and bamboo wood. Homeowners may notice that infestations seem concentrated in areas like their flooring, window sills and panes, door frames and other interior furniture.

Powderpost Beetle Prevention

Prevention is crucial so that a powderpost beetle infestation cannot spread to other parts of the house. Every homeowner should be aware of some DIY preventative measures for powderpost beetles. These include close inspection of wood materials that are brought into the house. Inspection should take place prior to any product purchasing. Using proper techniques to finish the wood and to dry the wood will also help in preventing a powderpost beetle infestation. Using proper air-dried wood, chemically treated wood, heating and cooling systems to speed up the wood drying processes and sealing wood surfaces are all proper methods to prevent future infestations. Also, if there has been a previous infestation of powderpost beetles, all infested wood should be discarded or removed and treated.

How to Get Rid of Powderpost Beetles

There are several methods that will work to kill powderpost beetles. Liquid insecticides that are properly labeled for powderpost beetles are the best solution for effective powderpost beetle control. Unfortunately, for sealed, varnished or painted wood, treatment will not be able to penetrate inside to reach the larvae and eggs. Therefore, if the wood is painted, sealed or varnished, the surface must be sanded or bare to treat and eliminate powderpost beetles. Liquid insecticides can be injected into the wood and/or painted on the surface area. For smaller infestations, properly labeled pressurized aerosol sprays will work great as a contact kill for the open places where you know powderpost beetles are present. All product labels for pesticides must carefully be reviewed before they are applied.

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Poderneets control
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Q. I have found what seems to be large powder post beetles in two hybrid willow trees I have.
What can I do so they don't get in my house? Is cutting down the trees sufficient to get rid of the beetles? I find lg. holes in the ground nearby the trees.
A.   Thank you for contacting us with your concern. Just cutting down the trees will not solve your powder post beetle problem. You will need to treat the wood with chemicals. The best pesticide to use for powder post beetle infestations is BoraCare
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11
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Q. powder post beetle infestation
I have powder post beetle infestation on tongue and groove pine inside the house. Small problem. Best treatment option. It is impractical to remove pine. Please advise.
A.  

Boracare is one of our highly recommended products for powder post beetle treatment.

If the wood that is needing to be treated has a finished surface, it is recommended that you sand down the finishing before applying the Boracare.

This will allow the Boracare to perform at its full potential, penetrating deep into the unfinished surface through the infested wood.

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10
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Q. powderpost beetles in tree
In detail, it appears that 2 hybrid willow trees have these powder post beetles. I have noticed some round holes in the dirt on the ground, under the trees. The trees are approx 20feet from the house. I have not seen any evidence of these beetles in, or on the house. Please advise. Thank you.
A.  

If you are planning on cutting your trees down anyway, BoraCare would be suitable for powderpost beetles.

BoraCare can kill any tree or plant life, so if you are looking to save your trees, I would recommend TIMBOR Insecticide and Fungicide. It targets powderpost beetles and is also suitable for treatments on wood.

If there is anything else I could assist you with, please let me know. Thank you.
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9
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Q. killing powder post beetles
we are looking at a log home that is for sale. it is 25 yrs old. it has been painted and stained several times on the outside. the inside is raw wood. the house has powder post beetles. can this be treated and eliminated?
A.   If you would like to treat your entire home, you may want to contact a professional pest control management company for fumigation to treat for powder post beetles. There are effect borate treatments available but you would need a large quantity to treat the entire house for powder post beetles.
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Q. powder post beetles control
How can I get rid of the powder post beetles. I have an old not sealed and carved bench. I have put a plastic underneath it and laced it in the garage but I need to know what to do with it and aside from fumigating what else can I do that will work?
A.  

For your case where the wood is not a living plant life, I would definitely recommend BoraCare Termiticide for you.

It is a very popular and effective product. It targets powder post beetles as well with a ratio of 5:1. Your finished, diluted solution would be one gallon of the Boracare to 5 gallons of water.

The product label for BoraCare states that it stays effective for a lifetime, so it is a lifetime guarantee.

You would apply the BoraCare so that it is just wet on the surface of the wood. After it has dried, you can finish the wood with a primer or a gloss over treatment.

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Q. Powder Post bug control
I purchased an expensive Koa wood salad bowl in Maui 1 year ago, I have had it in showcase with some other wood bowls but not on the same shelf. I noticed saw dust in the Koa bowl and have been told it is Powder Post bug and to use mineral oil on it and that will kill the bug. [True or not??] I have it in sealed bag now, my fear is will it get in the other bowls and/or teak case. Would you give me suggestion as to how to get rid of the bugs or should I send it back - and are the other bowls and showcase safe. There are about 4 trails of dust and tiny wholes around the bark edge of the bowl not the bowl itself. Please help!!
A.   If you are not eating from the bowls, you can use insecticide to treat for the powder post beetles. You can paint over the holes with Boracare, wait till it dries, and then furnish the wood. You can always freeze your bowls. The low temperatures will in fact, kill the powder post beetles.
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Q. Powder posr beetles
I have a mantle made from an old beam, which I believe to be hemlock. The beam, about 5 feet long is permanently installed. I have found several small piles of powder which I believe to be from powder post beetles. Which product do you suggest? This is located in Upstate New York near Syracuse. Thank you
A.   I would recommend BoraCare, it's the strongest stuff we've got for wood-boring insects. Also, Timbor would work just fine.
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3
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Q. prevent powderpost beetles
Wanting to know what works best to prevent my home from infestation. Removed wood walking cane but found dead adult beetles in my living room. Can I spray my carpet as well or do they only lay eggs on wood furniture. Found the dead ones also on my couch etc... How long do they live?? Heard that they live only 24 hours without wood. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch?? Please help!!! Thank you,
A.  

I am sorry to hear about your infestation. To treat the powderpost beetles on your wood, I would recommend that you use BoraCare.

If the wood is a plant-life, you would have to use Tim-bor, because BoraCare will kill your plant-life.

If there is anything else I could assist you with, please let me know. Thank you.
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Q. Powder Post Bettle on hardwoood floor
We have a hardwood floor with several coats of Bona Traffic sealing the floor. The wood is Pecan. The floor has been in about 3 years. The entire floor is maybe 1000 square feet In one small part---maybe one foot by 2 feet we have evidence of Powder Post Beetles. I have never seen the beetles themselves but we have a talcum like powder showing at the surface. The beetle evidence is only in this one place and no where else. We have had two professional treatments but they keep returning. In the first treatment the pest control company treated the infested area only--with a dry powder like substance. The second treatment---because the Beetles had returned--was a powder like substance around the entire perimeter of the hardwood floor---a Great Room, kitchen and bedroom. They returned again this lasts fall---because again they returned---and treated the immediate area without charge. But now---this week, February 15---they returned again and a lot of powder is showing but again in the one location. There is no crawl space below that works; I do not want to try to sand off the Bona Traffic and go down to the wood---it will be too difficult matching the stain color for the small but very visible location. Any suggestions? Anything I can use. Can I put small pin holes from the top of the hardwood floor boards, inject something and then reseal and restain just the holes? Any ideas? Thank you in advance for your help.
A.   If you have Powder post beetle problem, main idea of the treatment is Not Killing adult on the surface but killing their eggs inside wooden structure to prevent reinfestation. if you don't want to do any damage on your floor and want to kill powder post beetles under the floor, Unfortunately, we don't have any option other than fumigation
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Q. how to remove powder post beetles.
I live in a brick home and we stored some firewood in a rack outside by our garage. (The garage is attached to the home with a breezeway in between.) We noticed some sawdust around the wood and at first I thought we might have termites but after calling an exterminator he determined it was powder post beetles. He is going to remove the wood and recommended treating the garage and possibly our basement but did not see any evidence of them inside yet. Do you think this would this be a good preventative thing to do? If the firewood was never in the house or garage, are we less likely to have them enter the house? (if the wood is gone, are they gone?) I'd appreciate any info you can give because I would really like another opinion.
A.   If the wood is taken away, that means both their food source and nest is taken away. Naturally, they would either be completely eradicated OR they will look for a new food source, which is inside your home.

Most wood preservative insecticides that are used to treat for powderpost beetles have long residual times (ranges from 5-10 years) and so it would definitely help with prevention of a future infestation inside the house.

We recommend products like Boracare or Timbor that are specifically made to preserve wood as well as act as a killing insecticide.
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Q. powder post beetle damage
Powder post beetles. Need help with recommending a product and application tool (pump / spray?)?
A.  

The best product I can recommend for the control of powderpost beetles is BoraCare.

If your wood is treated, it must be sanded down so it is untreated, bare wood. Then you can spray BoraCare on the wood.

You could use a gallon sprayer to just spray on the surface so it is just wet.

The ratio of dilution is 1 gallon of BoraCare to 5 gallons of water. The residual time is guaranteed a life time.

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  A home inspection by a common exterminator is expensive.
Choose Do It Yourself (DIY) pest control products to kill
frustrating Powder Post Beetles supplies.

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