The Technique of FURNITURE MAKING
Death-watch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) (21 :C)
This is a larger cousin of the furniture beetle, about 1/4 in (6.3 mm) to 1/3 in (8.5 mm) long and without the characteristic punctures on the wing-cases. The mature beetle raps the wood with its head during the mating season in early summer, producing the familiar ticking sound which is magnified by the wood and can travel considerable distances—hence the specific name of 'death-watch' beetle.
The life-cycle closely resembles that of the furniture beetle, but can extend over anything from one and a half to several years, dependent on the condition of the wood; while after pupation the mature beetle does not emerge immediately, but usually waits until the following spring. The seasoned heartwood of most timbers can be attacked, but infestation is usually confined to old oak in which some subtle change, probably induced by damp conditions, has rendered the wood more digestible, hence its incidence in old buildings, church roofing, etc. where the stoutest structural timbers can be reduced to mere shells. Infestation is rare in furniture, and is immediately recognizable by the large exit holes and characteristic bunshaped pellets of wood-dust.
House longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes)
The pest is extremely destructive on the continent of Europe, though in England virtually confined to certain pine-forest regions of Surrey. Softwood only is attacked, and infestation is usually limited to roof or attic. The mature beetle is from 1/4 in (6.3 mm) to 3/4 in (19 mm) in length, varying in colour from brown to iridescent green, with characteristic long curved feelers, while the oval exit holes can be very large and up to 3/8 in (9.5 mm) in size.
Certain other types of longhorn beetle infest the sapwood of both hardwoods and softwoods. They do not as a rule attack seasoned timber/ lumber, and are, therefore, confined to forest and timber-yard.
