Powder Post Beetles

Order/family: Coleoptera/Lyctidae/Bostrichidae/Anobiidae

Scientific Name: Variety of names

Lyctid powder post beetles infest seasoned hardwoods. Adult beetles range in size from 1/32” to 1/4” long. They are red-brown to brown or black, and their prominent head is easily seen from above. The last two segments of their 11-segmented antennae are expanded into a club. The larvae are tiny, c-shaped, and grub-like and feed in tunnels inside the wood. Usually less than 1/4” long, they have an enlarged first body segment and eight spiracles in the abdomen.. The last spiracle is very large compared to the others. The larvae have three-segmented antennae and three-segmented legs. Bostrichid beetles range from 1/16” to 1” long. Their enlarged prothorax (the first body segment) gives them a humpbacked appearance. The body is elongated and cylindrical. The head usually points straight down and is hidden from view by the large prothorax. Most bostrichids have a roughened thorax, and their short antennae usually end in three or four enlarged segments. Anobiid powder post beetles also attack seasoned wood. These beetles range in size from 1/32” to 3/8” long, but those which attack structures are generally 1/8” to 1/4” long. They have highly varied body shapes, but most are elongated and cylindrical. When viewed from above, the first body segment (the pronoun) is hood-like, hiding the head. The last three segments of the antennae are lengthened and expanded into a club. The c-shaped, dirty-white mature larvae are as large as 1/2”, and the area behind the head is expanded and swollen. The last spiracle on the abdomen is not enlarged.