Which wood borers damage hardwood floors?
Both solid and laminate hardwood flooring can be infested with the larvae of wood boring beetles called powderpost beetles in the family Lyctidae (right). There are other insects that damage wood but only powderpost beetles are capable of re-infesting the wood from which they emerge. This is important because it is this "cycle of infestation" that leads, over time, to significant subsurface damage.
Beetle larvae (young, immature beetles; right) bore through wood fibers in order to gain access to starch stored in dead wood cells. As wood ages its starch content declines but even well seasoned wood often has enough starch to support powderpost beetle larvae.
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| powderpost beetle larva (enlarged) - head is toward right |
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Larvae develop over months, or even years, depending on starch and moisture content of the wood, eventually emerging as adult beetles. Emergence holes and powdery boring dust are usually the first signs of a beetle infestation. Adult beetles mate and the females lay eggs on the surface of wood. Larvae hatch and bore into the wood to start the cycle again.
Wood flooring can be safely and inexpensively treated during installation to prevent new infestation. Treatment after installation is more complicated and expensive but is still possible.
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