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Understanding the life cycle of the Common Furniture Beetle.
Here at Wessex Woodworm, we hold a great deal of industry knowledge and first-hand experience working with local customers and eradicating woodworm infestations. We thoroughly understand the life and behaviour of the woodworm, which enables us to provide effective and efficient services and solutions.
The common furniture beetle (Anobium Punctatum) is a wood-boring beetle. In the larval stage, it bores into wood and feeds upon it.
Adult Anobium Punctatum measure between 2.7mm and 4.5mm in length. They have brown ellipsoidal bodies with a pronotum resembling a monk's cowl.
The female beetle lays her eggs into cracks in wood or inside old exit holes, if available. The eggs are tiny and almost invisible to the naked eye.
After hatching, each egg produces a 1mm long, creamy white, C-shaped larva. For three to four years, the larvae bore semi-randomly through timber, following and eating the starchy part of the woodgrain. They can grow up to 7mm in length during this period.
When ready to pupate, the larvae come nearer to the wood surface. They excavate small spaces just under the surface and take up to eight weeks to complete the transformation into adult beetles.
The adults break through the surface, creating 1mm to 1.5mm exit holes and spilling fine dust — the first visible signs of an infestation. Adults do not feed; they simply reproduce, and the cycle begins again.
The first step in controlling an infestation is prevention. Anobium Punctatum only attacks seasoned sapwood timber, not live or fresh wood. It also usually does not attack heartwood timbers.
This explains why in infested structures, one piece of timber may be heavily attacked while an adjacent one is left virtually untouched — according to whether it is made from the heartwood or the sapwood part of a tree trunk.
Infestations are usually a problem of older wooden houses built with untreated timbers. Active infections feature the appearance of new exit holes and fine wood dust around them.
If you suspect an active infestation, contact us for a free survey. Our experts will identify whether the infestation is active or historic, and recommend the most effective treatment approach with our 30-year guarantee.
