Beetles

To the right you will see a section of bamboo floor with beetle exit holes marked with red circles. The large oblong circle also covers a difficult to see powderpost beetle frass. This was found by the owner of a Boston condo in a 6 unit 5 year old building. Traditionally, the treatment options were fumigation or removal of the infested wood in finished wood like this because surface treatments would not be effective due to the wood finish.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Powder Post Beetles

Powderpost beetles. These destructive pests show evidence of their presence by the small exit holes, compare to a push pin hole, and by the presence of frass, or a powdery like sawdust falling from a hole or void. These beetles can occur in new or old homes, but are most commonly found in older homes built with field dried timber and with high air moisture. Activity levels are driven by humidity level of wood and temperature. The good news is, exposed untreated, unvarnished or unpainted timbers can be treated with a boric acid material sprayed onto the wood, which acts as a stomach toxicant for the larva (or destructive) stage. The humidity can then be addressed with a high efficiency dehumidifier.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.