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What could be happening to your furniture? Are bugs munching in your table as you enjoy your dinner on your table? Are unexplained piles of dust invading your home? Am I making this up? Read on...
Recently, DawnLL, a Dave's Garden member wrote a warning to her Dave's Garden friends. This warning turned out not to be just tittle-tattle. It may be applicable to you. Dawn wrote:
"We purchased a new dining room set back in November...well, everything was going well until a few weeks ago. I started noticing a creamy-colored type powder on our black vinyl chairs - at the time I honestly didn't think much of it. It reminded me of cereal powder. This happened day after day...it was strange - I starting thinking maybe this was something more, however I didn't look into it...again just thinking it was the kids making a mess."
Powder on Dawn's Chair
Powder on Dawn's Chair
Dawn continued her story by stating that the children were away one evening. However, the next morning piles of powder were on the chairs again. This time Dawn and her husband knew that the problem was not children enjoying cereal.
"... since the kids weren't even home. Of course, he pulls out the...flashlight and heads under the table. He notices holes under the table - like some type of burrowing insect and the powder is coming from these holes!!!!! He said termites right away - I freaked out!"
Dawn called some Pest Control companies. She was advised beetles were living in the wood and that they would simply "eat it all from the inside out". The companies said they could try to treat the problem, but it would probably be the best to just get rid of the table. Dawn wrote:
"Okay, at this point I am FUMING MAD!" "I didn't know if the furniture place we purchased this from would replace our table since these beetles obviously came into our home through their...furniture!!! Of course, I called the furniture place. To make a long story short, they told us they would replace the whole set with the same style we already had or we could go back to the store and pick something else out - which is what we did. I just felt too creeped out in getting the same style."
She continued:
"I was so stressed over this whole ordeal - I am not kidding you. I am still...mad over it. I am just worried that these wood burrowing beetles could have gotten into something else of ours...the pest control people said likely not, since (the beetle's larvae) are enjoying the wood they are in now. So, I will take their word for it and keep an eye out."
Dawn then stated:
"Like I said, this whole thing just gives me the willies and I can't believe this happened to us. I have NEVER had anything like that happen before and I have already told several others who have never seen anything like this either. Just thought I would share, in case something similar happens to someone else...you never really know what could be lurking..."
Underside of table and beetles exit holes
Beetle from Dawn's Dining Room Table
After reading the thread, I was intrigued so I asked Dawn for permission to use her story. She agreed and even sent me the pictures for this article. (All of the above pictures are copyrighted by DawnLL.) I searched for more information on the internet and found the following on various sites:
Powder post beetles can "damage...and eventually destroy all exposed wood in houses, including furniture and paneling." This includes hardwood floors.1
There are different families of powder post beetles. Each family has its own taste preferences and might not switch to eat other wood. I guess you could call them picky fiber eaters.2
Even if you paint or varnish the wood, the grubs or larvae in the wood will continue to eat and grow for a period of 1 year to perhaps even 10 years before exiting as adults. Yes, you read that correctly, the larvae stage can last between 1 to 10 years.4,5
The holes that are left behind are actually exits, where the adult has left the building.2
Given enough time, the larvae can enervate wood, reducing substantial amounts of wood to a mass of fine powder.3
Exit holes "normally range in diameter from 1/32 inch, (0.8 mm) to 1/8 inch (3 mm), depending on the species of beetle."3
Powder post beetles can infect anything wood, from "wooden tools or tool handles, frames, furniture, gun stocks, books, toys, bamboo, flooring, and structural timbers."3
These larvae can turn beautiful furniture into nothing more than just brummagem wares.
A variety of suggestions to eradicate the beetles and larvae are posted on the internet. I suggest that you search the web and do your own research before calling your local pest control company.
During my research, I concluded that powder post beetles serve an important function in our world; they are basically scavengers that delight in gleaning and cleaning up dead wood. This wood is reduced to a wonderfully fine powder that breaks down nicely in our gardens and lawns. So, powder post beetle larvae, if you are reading this article as you chew on the desk, please relocate to the dead tree outside the window.
Posted by carmendaigle (from Sunset, LA) on August 25, 2008 at 7:58 PM:
Check with Orkin Pest Control. They sell contracts to treat your home yearly for powder post beetles.
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 25, 2008 at 10:27 PM:
Hello carmendaigle,
Thanks for stopping in and reading the article!
April
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Subject: Me too....
Posted by MikeyToo (from Cypress, CA) on August 25, 2008 at 12:46 PM:
We threw out two wicker baskets about a year ago after noticing the white talcum-like powder on the table where they were sitting holding magazines. A third wicker basket just started to show the same signs of infestation.....but we have yet to toss it. However, after reading this I will empty it out and toss it in the trash also..... All three of the baskets were purchased at the same time and likely were infested when purchased. Hopefully they have not spread to other furniture or our hardwood floors....
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 25, 2008 at 10:31 PM:
MikeyToo,
Wow...I didn't even think about wicker baskets. I have 3 wicker baskets and a wicker chair. I think I'll keep an eye on these.
Thanks for reading and posting!
April
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Posted by FrillyLily (from Lebanon, MO) on August 26, 2008 at 10:52 AM:
I noticed small piles of very fine sawdust around a bird house on my porch.
They are literally eating it away! everyday!
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 26, 2008 at 3:06 PM:
FrillyLily,
Thanks for posting a note and for writing. It looks like a lot of folks have an experience or two with these bugs.
Wonder if birds normally eat the beetles? If so, then the birds eat the beetles but the beetles eat the bird's house.
Thanks again,
April
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Subject: cedar chest
Posted by wormfood (from Lecanto, FL) on August 25, 2008 at 8:35 AM:
I have this small pile of "cereal" powder under my 75 year old cedar chest. We turned it over and sprayed termite killer into the hole and the pile came back, like the bugs were killed but more hatched? Creepy for sure. We're hoping that it's confined to the foot and we can replace them. Maybe the feet of the chect is made of a different wood. Because I thought nothing eats cedar. I will get right on this today. Thank you Dawn and April for spreading the word. Nancy
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 25, 2008 at 10:29 PM:
wormfood,
Hello Nancy. Wow. I'm glad this helped you; I know Dawn is probably delighted that her story helped someone.
Interesting! Hope things turn out well for you. Thanks so much for writing and letting us know.
April
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Subject: munching sound in bar stool
Posted by Tomato50 (from Beltsville, MD) on August 25, 2008 at 7:59 AM:
Back in the 1970s, I acquired a bar stool made in some third world location that had been sold and returned a couple of times because of a rasping noise in it. There was no hole suggesting an entry point so I guess the grub, or egg, was in the wood before it was used in the furniture. I left it at home until I had room for it. My sister quickly put it in the attic saying that the sound was too creepy for her. A couple of years later, I went up to my parents' attic to get the stool and it had a big hole coming out of one of the rear uprights that formed the leg and part of the back rest. The hole was easily 1/4 inch in diameter. Whatever was in it flew away. I filled the hole with some filler, but did not stain it. When people notice it, they are in for a story.
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 25, 2008 at 10:33 PM:
Tomato50,
What a story! I wonder how many people thought the chair had a ghost. I don't think I could bear the noise either.
That must have been a pretty good size bug!
Thanks for reading and commenting.
April
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Subject: Scary Stuff!!
Posted by Meredith79 (from Southeastern, NH) on August 22, 2008 at 10:36 PM:
I read that warning post and it had and will continue to have me checking all my furniture! I think it's great you did an article so more people can be warned of this terrible pest! I guess this would be the only good thing about all the fake wood furniture the dealers are selling these days! Or will they eat that fake pressed stuff too!?
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 23, 2008 at 12:25 AM:
Meredith79,
It really is an interesting situation, probably one that has been around for years. Maybe some people never knew why the furniture fell apart. Thanks for reading and commenting.
That would be about the only good thing about that stuff. However, the compressed particle board type stuff will fall apart when wet. I think I'd rather have real wood that can handle a little water and some hard knocks then the fake stuff that the bugs don't like.
Thanks again.
April
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Posted by Meredith79 (from Southeastern, NH) on August 23, 2008 at 9:13 AM:
I agree about that, but it is getting harder to find all wood furniture. The furniture stores advertise real wood and then you find out only certain parts are real wood, and they still are charging a lot of money! I don't like it either and have had furniture fall apart due to it. Like my kitchen cabinet drawer front that fell off not too long ago. The cabinets were already here so there isn't much I can do about it. It fell off for the exact reason you are saying, it was near the sink. Thank you again.
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Subject: Creepy feeling
Posted by Sheila_FW (from Fort Worth, TX) on August 22, 2008 at 9:44 AM:
Good article April! Glad you were able to get a replacement set.
I experienced them first hand too. About 10 years ago I saw a cool window treatment for a garden theme room. It used 2" diam. tree limbs as the base for the valance; then ivy and silk draped on them. I used it in my bedroom.
I had located the limbs in a pile where someone had cut down a tree (infected in hind site). After they were up, I noticed the bedside table and curtain below one had a powder on it. At first I thought it to be dust I knocked off of the wood, but as it continued, I realized it was something eating the wood! That treatment went away, but one night in the silence, we heard chewing noises. Upon inspection I realized the grapevine wreath arrangement above the bed had an insect in it! Not wanting to get rid of it, I sprayed it well with insecticide and bagged it for a couple days. It seemed to get rid of the problem....
Now I wonder if that one was the adult from the limb.
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Posted by pbtxlady (from Garland, TX) on August 22, 2008 at 10:40 AM:
We have seen these little piles around our exterior French doors! I too thought it might be termites, but then we've never seen them swarm... I think it's a lot more likely to be these beetles. What can you do for them when it's a structure that's part of the house?
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Posted by MitchF (from Lindsay, OK) on August 22, 2008 at 11:20 AM:
I have had these too - they ate several of the art works from Costa Rica before we found out what they are and got them stopped. Good article, very timley.
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 23, 2008 at 12:20 AM:
Sheila_FW,
That is an interesting story; I would have been a bit freaked out for a few days or more.
Our cherry tree died, so I asked my husband to save the wood. I don't know if I want it anymore. LOL.
pbtxlady,
One of the links at the bottom of the article might help you. I'd suggest that you have a pro look at it; could be carpenter ants also. There are a number of wood eating insects. Treating for carpenter ants is less expensive (here in Oklahoma) than treating for termites. Do you see any "tubes" for termites? From my understanding, Termite grubs cannot be exposed to air or they will die.
MitchF,
That is interesting. Too bad they ate your art works; were they ones you created while in Costa Rica? Thanks. BTW: Somebody has a birthday soon! Like in 2 days! How old will you be? (Actually, I know. Just teasing).
April
Aunt April
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Posted by pbtxlady (from Garland, TX) on August 23, 2008 at 1:45 AM:
No, we haven't seen any tubes or any other signs of termites. Haven't seen any carpenter ants either. Just these strange piles of frass on the floor inside the door some mornings.
I haven't done anything about it because the door is scheduled to be replaced soon. I figured we'd find out then and deal with it.
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Posted by MitchF (from Lindsay, OK) on August 23, 2008 at 10:01 AM:
:-) - Nope all bought, carved birds and the like. Sunday is the day - and we have a big interveiw on Monday for a present!
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Subject: Very interesting material.
Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on August 22, 2008 at 1:38 AM:
I have no trouble believing that this happened. As we transport woods from all parts of the country and world, we also transport insects from far and wide. I think they did the right thing in getting a different furniture. They don't need the extra worry at this time.
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 22, 2008 at 1:48 AM:
Thanks for reading and commenting, leaflady. I probably would have been looking under that furniture every day for months, even if it was different furniture. LOL
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on August 22, 2008 at 10:01 PM:
I probably will be looking under the furniture, the floor, the doorframes....... goodness, what a nightmare.
Great article, April, but mercy....they will haunt my dreams, I think!!!!!!
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Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on August 23, 2008 at 12:09 AM:
Thanks, Sharran.
It is strange to think about but also interesting that it is not happening more often.
It might make an interesting movie: Attack of the Wood Killer Beetles. :-)
April
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Posted by leaflady (from Hughesville, MO) on August 23, 2008 at 8:06 AM:
I think it probably does happen more often than we hear about. We just don't know anymore what we have imported or even native insects that we are bringing into our living environment. Once the damage is begun or done we are wiser but often don't know how to prevent it happening again. Or maybe some people learn but don't spread the word well enough to be heard like these people did their problem.
