How To Identify And Get Rid Of Wood-Boring Beetles In Your Albany Home

April 16, 2024

Wood-boring beetles are fairly common pests in Albany. Like termites, they infest wood, but wood-boring beetles will even infest and eat wooden furniture and other items. These infestations are serious, which is why you need the most effective pest control in Albany. With Kanga Pest Control, you can be sure your home will be protected from wood-boring beetles.

How To Identify And Get Rid Of Wood-Boring Beetles In Your Albany Home

What Are Wood-Boring Beetles?

Wood-boring beetles in Albany are insects that invade structural and decorative wood. The larvae feed on wood, tunneling through, then eventually emerge as adults. A few different groups of wood-boring beetles can be found in Albany homes.

Powderpost beetles are most likely to infest hardwoods and wood with high starch content. Other types of wood don’t have the nutritional content that these beetles need. Wood-boring beetles produce frass, which is wood fragments combined with fecal matter. Powderpost beetles’ frass is fine, with a dust-like texture.

Another type of wood-boring beetle is the deathwatch beetle. They’re more likely to infest damp, softwood, meaning they aren’t found in homes as often. If deathwatch beetles are found in Albany homes, they will likely be in basements, outbuildings, or anywhere else with high humidity. Their frass is made of small pellets.

How To Identify Signs Of Wood-Boring Beetles

There are a few signs of wood-boring beetles that you might notice around your home. They leave behind frass as a waste product. It is distinct between wood-boring beetle species and other wood-infesting pests, such as termites. You might notice small holes in the wood where adult beetles have emerged. These holes are typically small and may be hard to see.

Because wood-boring beetle larvae stay inside the wood, you aren’t likely to see them. Instead, keep an eye out for frass and holes left behind. Sometimes, there will be visible staining or blistering on wood caused by larvae tunneling through. These signs can be subtle, so it’s important to be aware of wood-boring beetle infestations and what causes them.

How Wood-Boring Beetle Infestations Start

Wood-boring beetles are often brought into homes in firewood, lumber, or wooden items. Once they’re inside a home, wood-boring beetle infestations can be difficult to control. The larvae stay inside the wood; the adults lay more eggs once they emerge from the wood. The evidence of wood-boring beetles is subtle, so it can be hard to identify an infestation.

Take these steps to prevent wood-boring beetles from infesting your home:

  • Only bring the amount of firewood indoors that you’ll use that day
  • Carefully inspect lumber, wooden furniture, and other products for holes and frass
  • Buy wood that is kiln-dried or chemically treated
  • Paint or varnish exposed wood
  • Store firewood as far away from your house as possible
  • Address moisture issues around the home

The most important part of wood-boring beetle prevention in Albany is protecting the wood around your home. Most types of wood-boring beetles will avoid wood that is painted, varnished, kiln-dried, or chemically treated. Besides treating all wood around your house, carefully inspect any wood products you buy and bring into your home for signs of infestation.

If you see any signs of a beetle infestation in your Albany home, call a professional pest control company for help getting rid of them.

Call The Professionals At The First Sign Of Wood-Boring Beetles

Kanga Pest Control is your best option for wood-boring beetle control in Albany. We take a thorough approach to pest control that keeps your home pest-free for longer. With our tried-and-true treatment methods, we’ll get all wood-boring beetles out of your home and keep them from returning. Our priority is always your health and safety, which is why we only use the best, most effective methods. We also keep you updated on everything we do, from inspection to application.

Call Kanga Pest Control today to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Albany.

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