Woodworm

[lynx]

I have just bought a second hand wardrobe and have found these holes in it ( photo attatched) can yoy tell me if this is woodworm.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Yes, they are common furniture beetle (anobium punctatum), in which case the holes will be 1.5 to 2mm diameter, but the black insides of the holes tends me to suggest that they are old (i.e. "extinct"). Are there any signs of frass (whitish powdery residues) in any of the holes or on the floor beneath the furniture? That is an indicator of a live infestation, although woodworm only emerge in the flying stage during April to June, so you may need to wait until next year to be absolutely certain that there is no infestation. BTW the adults can't feed - they merely mate, lay eggs and die - and their life cycle is very short whereas the larvae live in the timber for 3 to 4 years

 

[AronSearle]

Looks like ambrosia beetle / pinhole.

The black staining around the holes is mould, the beetle tunnels into the timber when it is wet (typically when a log) and feeds on the mould that grows in the tunnels, once the timber is dry it cannot survive and so the infestation is not current.

You can see in picture 2 one of the tunnels cut in half, showing this was present when the timber was laminated.

 

[lynx]

Thank you for the reply. It does look like Ambrosia Beetle. Would you say it's free from infestation or still a risk?

 

[AronSearle]

once the timber is dry it cannot survive and so the infestation is not current.

The beetles evolved to live in wet timber and damage happens after felling whilst the log is drying. They are called ambrosia beetles because that is the name of the mould/fungus that they live on (the black staining).

Once the timber is dry, the mould cannot grow, and so they starve.

 

[joe-90]

Didn't know that. Good post Aron.