Wood Destroying-Structural Pests
Carpenter AntsCarpenter ants are a nuisance by their presence when found in parts of the home such as the kitchen, bathroom, living room and other quarters. When 20 or more large winged and/or wingless ants are found indoors, in the daytime near one location, it is possible that the colony is well established in the home and the nest may have been extended into sound wood, sometimes causing structural damage. They do not eat wood, but often remove quantities of it to expand their nest size. However, if only one to two large wingless ants are erratically crawling, they may simply be foraging for food with the nest located outside. Outdoors, they are frequently seen running over plants and tree trunks or living in moist, partly rotten wood stumps. |
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Carpenter BeesCarpenter bees sometimes become a nuisance outdoors when they fly very erratically (hover) around the heads of people, causing fear. Homeowners complain not only about the aggressive nature, but about the round holes bored into wood trim near eaves and gables of homes, facia boards, porch ceilings, outdoor wooden furniture, decks, railings, fence posts, telephone poles, siding, shingles, dead tree limbs and other weathered wood. Initial damage is minor, but new tunnels may be excavated and old ones enlarged, causing considerable wood damage. Also, the yellow, coarse sawdust from borings beneath their entry hole contain their waste materials, leaving unsightly stains. |
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Powder Post BeetlesThe larvae of these beetles reduce timbers to a mass of very fine, powder-like substance. The adults do very little damage . In this section we will discuss four types of Powderpost beetles in four families: Lyctidae, Bostrichidae, Anobiidae, and Cerambycidae. Adults do little damage, it is the larvae that does the major part of the damage.They go through a complete metamorphosis: adults, eggs, larvae and pupae. |
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TermitesTermites: How to Reduce Your Home's Risk of Infestation Termites are the most economically important wood-destroying organism in the United States, with approximately $2 billion per year being spent for their prevention and treatment. This high-dollar amount could be reduced if homeowners implemented a number of relatively simple, inexpensive, practical measures around their home and outlying structures that reduce the risk of subterranean termite infestations. Such preventive measures are very cost effective given that a home typically represents one's largest monetary investment. |
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