Page 88 - Florida Pest Control Examinations

FALSE POWDER POST BEETLE FALSE POWDER POST BEETLE

Photo by Brian Rineberg
Corky’s Pest Control Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

1.Antenna- 3 segmented club 6.Thorax FALSE POWDER
2.Eyes- 2 7.Petiole- none POST BEETLE
3.Head- pointing downward 8.Abdomen- large
4.Legs- 6 9.Color- orange brown 5
5.Wings- covered by hard elytra 10.Other- large sized beetle

Life Cycle
Females deposit between 15-50 eggs in a gallery in the infested wood. 8
The eggs hatch into larvae, which will also start boring tunnels in the wood 3
for up to a year or more. Adults will emerge from the exit holes around 1
June, reproduce, and enter new wood. They live from 1-3 months. 4 Photo by Brian Rineberg
Corky’s Pest Control
FALSE POWDERPOST BEETLE Actual size ranges from 1/4” to 1/2 ”

Much larger than the true Powderpost Beetle, they are still the same color—reddish, dark
brown, or black. Some types can be up to two inches long, and have a humpbacked appear-
ance. Adults bore into wood, creating tunnels where females deposit eggs. Larvae will also
bore tunnels. They eat hardwoods such as flooring and even furniture, and will keep feeding in
the same area until they run out of wood. The frass they leave as deposits is much coarser than
that of true powderpost beetles, and their holes are larger.

1.Antenna- 3 segmented club 6.Thorax- has bumps BAMBOO BORER
2.Eyes- compound 7.Petiole- none
3.Head- facing downward 8.Abdomen- 6 5
4.Legs- 6 9.Color- reddish brown
5.Wings- covered by elytra 10.Other-

Life Cycle
Eggs are laid in cracks and crevices of infected bamboo, and hatch
in about a week. Larvae feed rapidly for another six weeks before
becoming pupa. The pupal stage is only four days, the new adult waits 3 4 8
another three days to chew its way out of the pupal cell and into the
infected product.
Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
BAMBOO BORER
Actual size 1/8”
The Bamboo Borer is also known as the Bamboo Powderpost Beetle. This small reddish-
brown or black beetle (about 1/8 inch) will reduce the inner portions of bamboo products to
th
a fine powder-like dust. The larvae will infest a wide variety of food products—grains, spices,
and even bananas. The adult attacks bamboo, cane, timber, grasses, and is often found in
infested baskets from the Orient. They leave small circular exit holes.

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