Bellingham WA home inspections (King of the House): Anobiid beetles

Here in the northwest, clients are always asking if I will check the crawl space for powderpost beetles. Well, I do look for the nasty powderpost beetles, but they (the lyctid) tend to be in hardwoods and inside: floors, picture frames, furniture. Now the anobiid, the critter that kills probably more deals than any other insect pest in this region, is what we are really looking for in the crawl space. I would hardly consider ourselves lucky for having this distinction, but the Pacific Northwest is one of the few regions that has such severe problems with this insect. It thrives on moist wood (13% and higher moisture content) and our coastal conditions, west side of the mountains, make our homes prime bargain buffet for the anobiid. The picture, from Bellingham, is one of the best photos I have of the severity of anobiid damage. Seldom do I find where they have worked into the floor and actually up into the interior of the home. That was the case here as their frass was visible around the floor trim in a bedroom. Usually we find their damage in posts, beams, joists and often heavy in the rim joists. The white dots at the upper right are the typical exit holes, about the size of a BB. The damage is done by a larvae that lives in and eats the wood for five or more years. You would never see this insect in real life. They are tiny, smaller than a grain of rice. The only time I have seen them was when I cut open a piece of wood that they were infesting. Usually you see only their damage, the tiny shot-sized holes and soft powdery wood like in the photo.

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