WOOD DESTROYING ORGANISMS The most damaging animals that attack wooden structures are the termites. The beetles are the next most important group of insects, which attack wood on the basis of distinctive habits and the problem solving challenges the beetles rank near the top. There are 2 kinds • Those that will re-infest the wood they have emerged from until the wood can no longer be used and must be replaced. • Those that emerge from wood after it has been milled and installed for whatever use it was intended, but for one or another reason can not attack the same piece of wood again. Third in importance, depending upon geographical locations, are the bees, wasps and ants. There was an average of 82000 reports submitted by licensed Pest Control operators, subterranean termites were found in 43%, dry wood in 83%, wood rot in 21%, beetles in 2% and damp wood termites in less than 1%. In 41% of the inspections, faulty grade level was present, in 33% early wood contact was discovered and in 26% no infestation and no apparent conditions which could lead to an infestation were found. LIST AND KEY OF PESTS ATTACKING WOOD PRODUCTS- The list presented below is a representation of the most economically important structural pests generally occurs. ORDER-ISOPTERA: Family – Kalotermididae Damp wood termites – Zootermopsis angusticollia (Hager) Nevada damp wood termite – Z. nevadensis (Hager) Dray wood termite – Incisitermes minor (Hager) Desert dry wood termite – Marginitermes hubbardi (Banks) Family – Rhinotermidae Western subterranean termite – Reticulitermes hesperus (Banks) Eastern subterranean termite – R. flavipes (kollar) Black Legged termite – R. tibialis (Banks) Family – Anobiidae Western death watch beetle – Trypopitys punctalus (Zec) Softwood powder post beetle – Hadro bregmus dibbicollis (Zec) Furniture beetles – Anobium punctatum (De Geer) Death watch beetle – Xestobium rufovillosum (De Geer) Family – Bostrichidae Page 1 Lead cable borer – Scobicia declivis (Zec) Black polycaon – Polycaon stouti (Zec) Family – Lyctidae Old world lyctus beetle – Lyctus brunneus (Stephens) European lyctus beetle – L. linearis (Goez) Southern lyctus beetle – L. planicollis (Lec) Western lyctus beetle – L. cavicollis (Lec) ORDER – HYMENOPTERA: Family – Formicidae Giant carpenter ant – Camponotus levigatus (Smith) A carpenter ant – C. herculeanus var modoc L. Masculate carpenter ant – C. Masulatus (Mayr) Amber carpenter ant – C. maccooki (forcel) Family – Xylocopidae (family Apidae by some authors) California carpenter bee – Xylocopa californica (Cres) Mountain carpenter bee – X. tebaniformis (Smith) Valley carpenter bee – X. brasilianorum (Patton) OTHER WOOD DESTROYING INSECTS- Wood destroying organisms other than subterranean termite cause million of dollars in damage to wood product every year. The wood boring beetles of economic concern includes the true powder post beetles, false powder post beetles, furniture and deathwatch beetles and the old house borer. POWDER POST BEETLES- Three families of beetles have at last some members that are called “Powder post beetles”. True powder post beetles – Family Lyctidae False powder post beetles – Family Bostrichidae Furniture or deathwatch beetles – Family Anobiidae They all damage the wood in about the same manner. The surface of infested wood is perforated with numerous small "“hot holes", each about the size of a pencil lead. Any jarring of the wood causes powder to shift from the holes cutting or breaking infested wood may reveal masses of packed powder that is produced by the feeding of grub like larvae and to lesser extent by adult beetles. TRUE POWDERPOST BEETLES- (Family Lyctidae) Page 2 The true powder post beetle is small, slender, flattened and reddish brown to black. It varies in length from about 1/8 to 1/n inch long. The female lays her eggs in the pores of the wood. These beetles attack only hard woods, eating only the sapwood, which contains the starch required in their diet. Once hatched young larva bore into the wood, they are unable to digest cellulose. Most of the wood eaten passes through the larvae and is left behind as a powdery frass. The lyctid damage is characterised by the fine powder falling from the surface holes in hard wood. The head is prominent and not covered by the pronotum. These beetles breed in old well cured wood but are frequent house hold pests working in furniture, flooring, tool handles and other hardwood products. There is no way to determine the presence of an infestation until the first adult emerge through the wood surface creating a pin holes other members of the family are old world lyctus beetle, European lyctus beetle, southern lyctus beetle and western lyctus beetle. FALSE POWDERPOST BEETLES- (family Bostrichidae) The adults of the false powder post beetle are more robust than that of the true powder post beetle. Body is cylindrical with a roughened thorax surface. Its head usually not visible from above. Color varies from dark brown to black and length ranges from 1/8 to 3/8 inch. It digests the starch in the wood but not the cellulose are true powder post beetle. It will attack softwood as well as hard wood. The female bore directly into wood to lay eggs. An emerging adult will burn at right angles from the lanai mine and work out its way out of the wood. Thus pest may be easily confused with adults of the bark beetles. This insect also known as Branch and Twig bores. There are 2 species in this family that causes structural problems the lead cable borer and the black polycaon. The first species to quite typical in shape and appearance to other members of the family. FURNITURE AND DEATHWOOD BEETLES – (Family anobiidae) These beetles are slightly less than 1/3 inch long and red to brown to black in color. They deposit their eggs in cracks and crevices of all types of seasonal wood though they seem to prefer the sapwood or so ft wood trees. They have a digestive enzyme, which allow them to digest cellulose. An infestation is characterised by a coarse powdery frass-containing bun – shaped fecal pellets. Among this group the furniture beetle will infest structural wood as well as furniture while the deathwatch beetle prefers structural timber in damp areas. The adults made a ticking sound for which they are known. The death watch beetles most frequently damage the joists, sub-flooring, hard wood flooring, sills, plates and interior trim of the buildings with this they may damage furniture and other products. LONG HORNED BORER – (Family cerambycidae) This family includes many species of large, slender, wood boring beetles. The adults usually have very long antennae that may be much longer than the body, giving them the Page 3 common name “long horned beetle”. The 2 most important pests of building belonging to this family are Newhouse borer Arhopalus produclus and old house borer. Hylotrupes bajulus (2) do not have particularly antennae, all adults of this family have large, strong, toothed mandibles. The larvae are somewhat cylindrical and fairly large thorax resulting in burrows of similar shape in the infested wood, hence also known as “Roundheaded borer”. The larvae have small heads but powerful mandibles, larval legs are lacking or vestigial. The adults is narrow, black beetle, 2 to 3 cm long, the larvae is yellowish white and is about 4 cm long when full grown. The female lays eggs in deep crevices of the bark. The beetle has a long life cycle and can infest some place again and again. The exit holes of emerging adult do not occur in very large numbers until the infestation is sever. The larvae will do extensive feeding without breaking through the surface of the wood. The life cycle of Newhouse borer takes at least 2 years to complete, as against this the life cycle of old house borer takes about 3 to 5 years to complete, maximum period passes through larval stage which is most damaging one. FLAT HEADED BORERS – (Family Buprestidae) The family is well represented among the timber beetles. The adults are medium to large, usually somewhat flattened and some are characterised by brilliant, metallic colors. The elytra are usually ridged or roughened because of their attractiveness. The larvae lack eyes and legs are distinctly segment ed. They have very small and greatly enlarged and flattened thoraxes, which has given rise to the name Flatheaded borers. The life cycle requires only one to two years to complete but in some species found in structural lumber it is much longer. Their tunnel, packed with frass are often seen in softwood lumber. Other members of the family are golden buprestid and green buprestid. The adult female must have bark upon which to lay eggs. The eggs are deposited in the spring and summer. BARK BEETLES – (Family scolytidae) Bark beetles are small, cylindrical, robust or slender beetles. Usually brown, reddish brown or black, the head is partially or completely concealed from above. These beetles are most serious pests of forest being attracted to weak, injured, dying or felled trees. Some species attack fruits, shade and ornamental trees and shrubs. The small larvae tunnel, about 1.5 to 3 mm in diameter. They c annot live in seasoned woo. The bark beetle feed in the larval stage on the cambium layer growing in between the wood and the bark of woody trees. Once the eggs hatch and the larvae feed to maturity and pupate, thousands of adults will soon emerge. Only one sex selects the individual host tree in which mating and oviposition takes place. The frass which is made up of small, granular, gritty particles, may fall through cracks in the bark. They cannot re-infest the dry bark from which they have emerged. 1 to 3 generations are produced every year depending on geographical conditions infested trees can be detected by their fading folliage.