Powder-post Beetles- Lyctidae

The Lyctidae, the powder-post beetles, are dark colored, stout insects. They can seriously damage furniture, wooden beams, hardwood floors, and tool handles. The females lay their eggs in wood, boring into the wood with their extremely long and thin ovipositors. During the larval stage, the young Lyctidae remain inside the wood, making it difficult to determine whether or not the wood has been infested. This is often a source of heated debate between furniture dealers and buyers who want guarantees that their furniture is free of these pests.

The Lyctidae attack only sapwood, ignoring furniture or timbers made of heartwood. The inexpensive wood used in construction multiplies the possibility of Lyctidae invasion. Cheap varieties of oak now widely used for flooring, for example, are a prime target for these boring beetles. They will not enter wood that has been painted or varnished. But since the Lyctidae often infest sawmills and lumberyards, adding a protective finish can be much like locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen.

Most members of this family are small, about V4 inch in length. They are reddish brown in color. The larvae are white and may be longer than the adults.