Identifying Woodworm in the Home

(Anobium Punctatum)

• Sapwood of soft and hard timbers and older plywood
• Modern plywood and tropical hardwoods are generally immune

• Severe, extensive tunnelling that generally follows the grain of the timber
• Treatable

• Lots of gritty, uniformly-coloured dust that can be easily knocked from the timber
• Round tunnels generally running with the grain
• Round flight holes on the timber’s surface of approximately 1-2mm diameter

(Xestobium Rufovillosum)

• Hardwoods like oak or elm with some degree of physical decay
• Softwoods where significant decay is present and when it is located close to the aforementioned hardwoods

• Severe, extensive tunnelling that is more evident internally
• Treatable

• Large and gritty pellets of dust (frass) of a uniform colour
• Round tunnels with a lot of dust
• Round flight holes on timber’s surface of approximately 3mm diameter

(Pentarthrum Huttoni Euophryum Confine)

• Well decayed, aged hardwoods and softwoods

• Tunnelling with the grain of the timber due to larvae and adult beetle activity
• Tunnels frequently break the surface of the timber

• Lots of gritty, uniformly-coloured dust that can be easily knocked from the timber
• Round tunnels generally running with the grain and breaking the surface
• Round, jagged flight holes on timber’s surface of approximately 1mm diameter

(Lyctus Brunneus)

• Sapwood of wide-pored hardwoods like oak with high starch levels
• Obeche core in plywood
• Timber over 10 years old achieve immunity due to starch depletion of the natural ageing process

• Severe tunnelling in the sapwood, with the grain in the early stages
• Sapwood may be totally disintegrated with only a thin, sound surface to timber
• Treatable

• A smooth, flour-like dust that can be easily knocked from the timber
• Round tunnels which frequently intersect, often following the grain in early stages
• Round flight holes on timber’s surface of approximately 1-2mm diameter

(Hylotrupes Bajulus)

• The sapwood of softwoods

• Severe tunnelling that often coalesces
• Sapwood may be totally destroyed leaving a thin veneer surface that may appear corrugated
• The tunnel is full of frass and often exhibits fine ridges
• Treatable

• Sausage-shaped pellets (frass) readily visible to the naked eye and easily shaken from the timber
• Large, oval-shaped tunnels that often coalesce
• Oval, jagged flight holes on timber’s surface of approximately 6-10mm diameter

(Nacerdes Melanura)

• Severely decayed, aged hardwoods and softwoods
• Softwood is reported to be preferred

• Severe tunnelling in rotted wood
• The tunnel is full of mud-like frass and coarse fibres
• Tunnels generally follow the grain of the timber

• Mud-like frass with clutches of coarse fibre
• Large, oval-shaped tunnels that often coalesce
• Oval, jagged flight holes on timber’s surface of approximately 6-7mm diameter

(Ernobius Mollis)

• Seasoned and partly seasoned timber with bark present
• The presence of bark is required to initiate an attack

• Surface scoring to outer sapwood, some holes present
• Most damage is present in the bark

• Gritty, round-shaped pellets of a uniform colour
• Round tunnels mainly in the bark
• Round flight holes of approximately 2mm diameter

(Urocerus Gigas)

• Softwoods of newly felled logs and unhealthy trees
• This forest insect will not attack seasoned wood

• Discrete tunnels with hard-packed fibrous frass

• A coarse, fibrous frass which is hard to remove from tunnels
• Large, round, smooth-edged tunnels of good separation
• Round flight holes of approximately 6-7mm diameter

(Ptilinus Pectinicornis)

• The sapwood of certain European hardwoods like oak
• It is rarely found in furniture

• Severe tunnelling in the sapwood, going with the grain in early stages. Similar to Powder Post Beetle but frass is extremely hard packed
• Sapwood may be totally disintegrated with only a thin, sound surface to the timber

• A smooth, flour-like dust that cannot be knocked from the timber and requires digging out
• Round tunnels full of hard frass
• Round flight holes on timber surface of approximately 2mm diameter

(There are numerous types of Ambrosia Beetle)

• Newly felled logs of hardwoods and softwoods
• This forest insect will not attack seasoned wood

• Tunnelling due to female adult activity is found across the grain
• Blue or black staining to tunnel wall

• No frass
• Round tunnels of varying size
• Round, black-stained entry holes that vary in size