Following the pupation process, the adult beetle cuts a hole in the surface of the timber and emerges to start the process once more. Eventually, the mature larva excavates a pupation chamber just beneath the surface of the wood. Here they remain for between two and four years slowly eating and burrowing beneath the surface of the wood. Usually, within a month the eggs hatch and the young grubs begin burrowing into the timber. Very soon after mating the female beetle lays approximately 30 eggs, often into cracks and crevices in the timber she has just vacated.
This insect commonly occurs outdoors infesting dead tree trunks, branches and other forms of exposed timber but, the main cause for concern is its ability to infest indoor timbers in a variety of situations.Īdult beetles emerge from timber in the spring and summer. The most common wood destroying beetle found in Northern Irish homes and buildings today is the common furniture beetle anobium punctatum.
