The Black Polycaon Beetle Commonly Infests Hardwood Flooring And Furniture Made Of Any Softwood Species, Sometimes For Several Years
Several beetle species see adult females lay eggs on the surface of wood in order to allow emerging larvae to bore into wood for nesting and feeding purposes. Larvae of most wood-boring beetle species excavate interior tunnels through natural wood sources only, like trees, logs, stumps and fallen branches. Unfortunately, a significant number of beetle species also bore into finished wood sources, like structural wood, furniture, and other forms of woodwork. Naturally, beetle species that bore into finished wood sources are considered economically significant insect pests due to the costly damage they inflict to valued woodwork.
Much like termites, larvae of wood-boring beetle species excavate nesting tunnels within wood where they feed on cellulose for nutritional purposes during their maturation into adulthood. The most common wood-boring beetle pests that infest woodwork on US properties include powderpost beetles, old house borers and deathwatch beetles. The Bostrichidae family of wood-boring beetles include 700 documented species, some of which are pests of woodwork that are commonly known as “false powderpost beetles.”
The most destructive powderpost beetle species include the “leadcable borer,” the “bamboo borer,” and the “black polycaon.” Black polycaon beetles are extremely abundant in Arizona where pest control professionals frequently recover larvae from infested plywood and furniture, particularly veneer furniture. While larvae of this species can infest any softwood species, they have also been found infesting hardwood flooring and oak furniture within homes and buildings in Arizona. Black polycaon beetle larvae generally infest woodwork for around one year before reaching maturity, at which point they emerge from wood through small exit holes that are around 7 mm in diameter. These exit holes are visible on the surface of damaged woodwork, and in rare cases, larvae have infested finished wood items for as long as 20 years before reaching adulthood. The black and cylindrical adults are between 11 and 22 mm in length, and they often enter homes due to their attraction to artificial light sources.
Have you ever encountered flying beetles around your indoor or outdoor lights?
