Last update: 08-08-2022 Home & Garden

Common Furniture Beetle - How to Get Rid of Wood Boring Beetles?

Common furniture beetle is one of the most dangerous domestic pests that feed on wood. It can attack floors, furniture and other decorative elements of your home. Fighting them might be tiresome. Fortunately an effective elimination is possible. Check what you should know about your enemy. Learn how to get rid of wood boring beetles.

Common furniture beetle – what kind of pest is it?

The common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) is a wood pest which is common everywhere in the world except from Asia and South America. This small insect from the group of beetles is often referred to as woodworm beetle. But this is not correct nomenclature, as there are two types of pests of this kind.

• The first one is bark beetles – they prey on living trees and shrubs, typically in woods, but can appear in home yards as well.
• The common furniture beetle is the other type. It preys on “dead” wood used in many furniture elements.

Both insects – the bark beetle and the common furniture beetles are exceptionally dangerous pests, as they multiply quickly, and can make a lot of damage. That’s why it’s so important to eliminate them quickly.

Common furniture beetle – what does it look like?

The common furniture beetle, as mentioned before, belongs to the family of beetles, so it has a typical appearance of these insects. What’s exceptional is that it’s very small. Adult pests measure no more than 4 mm (0.2 in) in length. Considering the insect’s typical brown color, the woodworm beetle is practically unnoticeable on wooden elements.

Where do furniture beetles come from?

Woodworm beetles move around on their own. They might also come to a house along with already infested wooden objects. They multiply quite quickly – so without an immediate reaction, the problem might become very serious.

It is estimated that during the reproduction period, which is usually between May and September, the common furniture beetle lays even 100 eggs. This might give you an idea of how dangerous this pest is.

Where do common furniture beetles typically appear?

The common furniture beetle can appear in any wooden object. But note that adult insects usually lay their eggs in places where they can be at least seemingly safe. Various depressions, nooks, cracks, and gaps in wood are the first spots where one should search for these pests.

The mentioned locations provide perfect conditions for a woodworm beetle, so it can eat immediately after hatching. All it has to do is bite into the wood, bearing immense destruction.

Woodworm beetle – pay attention to the characteristic noise

The furniture beetle can be detected not only by the damage it causes. The pest can also be recognized by characteristic clicks – noise the bug makes while eating. The sound is so unusual that it’s difficult to mistake it for anything else. If you hear it at home, it means that your wooden objects are in danger, and that you should act immediately.

Do furniture beetles fly?

Note that the common furniture beetle has a few stages in its life cycle. Initially, an adult beetle lays eggs. Larvae hatch from them, and after a longer time the insect turns into a beetle-like form. Fully developed woodworm beetles can, in fact, fly. That’s how they move around the wooden elements in the house to lay new eggs in them.

Do furniture beetles bite?

Although the furniture beetle can greatly damage wood by drilling long and winded corridors in it, the insect doesn’t pose any threat for humans. You don’t have to worry that it will bite e.g., small children living in the house or apartment.

How to get rid of furniture beetles?

Although the common furniture beetle is quite a tiresome pest, it doesn’t mean it cannot be effectively eliminated. What’s more, there are several methods that can help you get rid of the enemy. Take a look at the most popular ones below.

High temperature to get rid of wood boring beetles

The common furniture beetle has very low resistance to high temperatures. Just 50°C (122°F) is enough to eliminate it from wood, especially if there are only larvae. In this case, one of the two methods can be used:

• heating the wood up using an infrared lamp,
• disinfection with steam.

The first method is definitely safer and brings expected results.

Woodworm beetle vs. chemicals

The market offers many chemical products that perfectly eliminate pests such as the common furniture beetle. Most are applied with special syringes. Thanks to this, you can use the product precisely in the tunnels drilled by the insect. But that’s not the only action to take in this case. It’s always good to secure the holes, so the woodworm beetle cannot escape. To do this, use paraffin wax.

Fumigation of wood – furniture beetles don’t stand a chance

Wood fumigation is a process of removing the pests with smoke. For this purpose, special chemicals or gas are used. Such treatment should be done by professionals, and nobody but them can be in the house during the process.

Fumigation is also a common technique when you want to get rid of mice in the house. It’s effective against other bugs and rodents.