Anobiid / Anobiid Powderpost / Deathwatch Beetles

Category: Miscellaneous

Scientific Name: Various

 

Identification:

Color: Reddish brown to black, with some light-colored hairs

Size: Body is 1/32 to 3/8 (1.1-9mm) Long

Region: Found in the United States

Important Considerations:

  • Indications of infestation are powdery but gritty frass beneath exit holes
  • The name of “Deathwatch” comes from the sound they make by tapping their jaws against the wood surface of their tunnel as a mating call
  • There are about 310 different species in the U.S.

 

Where to Find Them on Your Property?

Anobiids attack mostly softwoods and hardwoods, mostly on the sapwood. They attack structural Timbers, lumber and some manufactured structures. Females lay their eggs on wood, under cracks, surface splinters, or old exit holes. Sometimes they can be found on tree hardwood, like a Broadleaf tree. Wood older than 9 years is the wood that they usually attack.