Old House Borer

The old house borers don’t really live up to their names. They actually prefer to bore into wood under 10 years old. These are large beetles, between 5/8″ and 1″ long – colored brown to black. Also present is a little bump on both sides, and various hairs and markings. Old house boring beetles have long antennae, being from the longhorn beetle family. Attacking exclusively softwoods such as pine, they preferr the sapwood portions over the heartwood. Eggs are laid on the surface of the wood, and larvae bore themselves into it. The holes left from the larvae are big for beetle holes, and oddly shaped. They are between 1/4″ and 3/8″ in diameter, oval, and have irregular edges. Frass is packed in the holes, but some does fall out into piles. The frass consists of pellets and powdery sawdust. During some times of the year, this beetle (as other wood borers) can be heard making clicking noises while in their holes.