The wood could have been improperly dried or stored. Larvae cause the damage. Maple, beech, popular and pine are especially susceptible to attack. Under favorable conditions of moisture and temperature, infestations may spread upwards into walls and upper levels of the structure, including furniture. Infestations may occur as a result of using infested lumber, or from beetles flying in from outdoors or being carried in on firewood.
Infestations develop slowly, but wood can be reinfested year after year.
Anobiids are called deathwatch beetles because in the past superstitious people believed the ticking one species makes foretold impending death in the household. Adult beetles make the sound during the mating season by tapping their heads on a hard surface. They attack seasoned softwood, hardwood, sapwood and heartwood found in woodwork, flooring, structural wood, furniture, tool handles and sometimes firewood. Bostrichids are more abundant in the tropics. The bamboo powderpost beetle is found in baskets, picture frames, furniture and other imported bamboo material.