A wide variety of insects use wood as a habitat. It offers a food source as well as a home to a growing number of beetles, termites, ants and fungi. The insects all have fairly similar life cycles. The type of wood attacked and the magnitude of damage caused by a particular breed of insect is not easy to see. The appearance of damage caused by wood-boring insects does not always confirm a need for remedial treatment.
Correct classification is fundamental if the right treatment is to be implemented.
The insects ordinarily found in timbers fall into three categories, according to the treatment generally needed to control the insect. Frequently mistaken for common furniture beetle. Three pairs of small legs. Dark spots on either side located near the back part of the body. Found year round in infected wood.