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Wood Destroying Insects

- Insects cause damage in a variety of ways -

Summary: Insects damage wood and other building materials in many different ways. Termites, carpenter ants and several "powderpost" beetles are the most important. See this reference table for a list of the major, and some minor, wood -damaging insect pests.

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)

Insects that damage wood

Fortunately, relatively few insects actually damage sound wood. Termites (both subterranean and drywood), carpenter ants and certain powderpost beetles are the primary wood destroying insects. The potential for damage from any of these insects varies by region and climate.

Termites, for example, tend to be of more concern in warm climates whereas carpenter ants tend to be more important in cooler climates. Wood-boring powderpost beetles damage structural wood mostly in coastal climates. Powderpost beetles can, however, damage hardwoods, like flooring and furniture, in any climate.

There are also a number of minor wood damaging insects that may do significant cosmetic damage but rarely impact wood's structural integrity. The table below lists all these insects and their potential for damage. Also, see the Related Articles for additional information about specific wood-destroying insects.

 
 

Wood-damaging insects

The Wood Damaging Insects table (see image at right and link below) lists the key characteristics of the major and minor insect pests of both softwoods and hardwoods.

The table is downloadable as a pdf file so you'll need Acrobat Reader or equivalent to open it and modified from a similar table published in 1979 by Harry B. Moore in a bulletin titled Wood-Inhabiting Insects in Houses, USDA, FS and HUD.

Click the image above to download the table.

Related articles

+ Wood Damaging Insects (pdf file)

+ How Subterranean Termites Damage Wood

+ How Drywood Termites Damage Wood

+ How Carpenter Ants Damage Wood

+ How Powderpost Beetles Damage Wood

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Mission: To provide accurate, up-to-date and unbiased information for solving common insect and mite problems around your home, business and landscape using least-toxic methods.

Jack DeAngelis, Ph.D.

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