Timber-pest

Guides

Anobiini
death-watch beetles
Anobiini is a tribe of beetles within the family Ptinidae, commonly known as death-watch beetles. The tribe contains at least 6 genera and approximately 20 described species. Members of this tribe are wood-boring beetles known for their association with timber and wooden structures. The common name "death-watch" derives from the tapping sounds produced by some species, historically associated with superstitions about impending death.
Coleoptera Ptinidae wood-boring pest death-watch-beetle timber-pest stored-product-pest
Arrenodes
Arrenodes is a monotypic genus of primitive weevils in the family Brentidae, containing only Arrenodes minutus, the oak timberworm. This species is a significant pest of hardwoods in eastern North America, with larvae boring into the xylem of oak, elm, beech, and poplar trees. Adults are sexually dimorphic, with females possessing long slender mouthparts for oviposition and males having broadened mandibles used for combat and courtship. The species has been introduced to the Maritime Provinces of Canada and is regulated internationally due to its potential to vector oak wilt fungus.
pest forest-pest timber-pest oak-wilt-vector sexual-dimorphism invasive-potential phytosanitary-regulated
Brentus
Brentus is the type genus of primitive weevils in the family Brentidae and tribe Brentini. Species are distributed in the Americas, with most diversity occurring in tropical regions. The genus exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism in rostrum and mandible morphology, with females possessing elongated, slender rostrums for wood-boring oviposition and males having short, robust mandibles used in territorial combat. These beetles develop as larvae in the wood of living or wounded trees.
wood-boring sexual-dimorphism primitive-weevil timber-pest territorial-behavior
Cossoninae
Cossoninae is a subfamily of true weevils within the family Curculionidae. Members of this subfamily are characterized by their small to medium size and association with woody substrates, including timber, leaf litter, and plant roots. The group exhibits considerable diversity in habitat preference, with species found in marine/coastal environments, forest leaf litter, and specialized niches such as sand dunes and the phloem of living trees. Many species possess reduced or absent eyes (anophthalmous or microphthalmous) and exhibit endogean or cryptic lifestyles. The subfamily includes both economically significant timber pests and ecologically important decomposers.
weevil Curculionidae wood-boring leaf-litter cryptic anophthalmous uncinate-tibiae timber-pest decomposer endogean
Ernobius mollis
pine knot borer, pine bark anobiid, waney edge borer, bark borer
Ernobius mollis is a small wood-boring beetle in the family Ptinidae (formerly Anobiidae), commonly known as the pine knot borer. Native to northern Europe, it has been introduced to North America and is also recorded from the Azores. The species develops in dead pine wood, particularly in bark and knots, and is frequently associated with processed timber. Two subspecies are recognized: the nominate E. m. mollis and E. m. espanoli from the Iberian region.
Ptinidae wood-borer pine timber-pest introduced-species Europe North-America
Gnathotrichus sulcatus
western hemlock wood stainer
Gnathotrichus sulcatus, commonly known as the western hemlock wood stainer, is an ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is native to western North America and is a pest of softwood logs, particularly in timber processing areas. The species produces sulcatol as an aggregation pheromone and exhibits secondary attraction behavior. Both sexes respond to host kairomones including ethanol and α-pinene. The beetle cultivates fungal symbionts in its galleries, including Ambrosiella sulcati and Raffaelea sulcati.
ambrosia-beetle pest pheromone fungal-symbiont western-North-America timber-pest Scolytinae
Hylotrupes bajulus
House Longhorn Beetle, Old House Borer, European House Borer
Hylotrupes bajulus is a woodboring beetle and the sole species in its genus. Native to Europe, it has spread globally through timber trade to become practically cosmopolitan. It is a significant pest of structural timber, particularly dry coniferous sapwood. Sexually mature females produce a species-specific sex pheromone that attracts males from short distances.
woodboring-beetle timber-pest invasive-species pheromone-communication conifer-specialist urban-pest
Lyctinae
Powderpost beetles, Powder-post beetles
Lyctinae (powderpost beetles) is a subfamily of approximately 70 species of woodboring beetles within the family Bostrichidae. Members are distinguished by their reduced prothorax, which leaves the head more visible than in most woodboring beetles, and by antennal clubs with two segments. The subfamily includes three tribes—Lyctini, Trogoxylini, and Cephalotomini (the latter now synonymized with Trogoxylini)—and occurs worldwide. Some genera exhibit unusual ecological strategies, including the use of galleries created by other beetles rather than excavating their own.
wood-boring pest timber-pest powderpost-beetle Lyctinae Bostrichidae Coleoptera
Lyctoxylon dentatum
Oriental Powderpost Beetle
Lyctoxylon dentatum is a powderpost beetle in the family Bostrichidae, first described by Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe in 1866. Native to Asia, it has been introduced to multiple continents including Europe, East Africa, North America, and Australia. As a woodboring beetle, it develops within wood and can cause damage to timber products. The species is commonly known as the Oriental Powderpost Beetle.
powderpost-beetle woodboring-beetle invasive-species timber-pest
Lyctus brunneus
brown powderpost beetle, brown lyctus beetle, powder post beetle
Lyctus brunneus is a wood-boring beetle in the family Bostrichidae, subfamily Lyctinae, known as the brown powderpost beetle. It is a xylophagous species that causes significant damage to dry hardwood and bamboo. Originally native to the Neotropical region, it has achieved worldwide distribution through human commerce. The species is notable for its specialized chemosensory mechanism for detecting starch content in wood, which determines oviposition site selection.
wood-boring-beetle powderpost-beetle stored-product-pest timber-pest xylophagous starch-dependent cosmopolitan-distribution
Nacerdes melanura
Wharf Borer
Nacerdes melanura, commonly known as the wharf borer, is a false blister beetle in the family Oedemeridae. It is a cosmopolitan wood-boring pest with a nearly worldwide distribution, particularly prevalent in coastal regions. The species infests timber in marine and waterfront structures, causing structural damage to wharves, piers, and other wooden maritime installations.
wood-borer marine-pest cosmopolitan Oedemeridae false-blister-beetle timber-pest coastal-insect
Nathrius brevipennis
Nathrius brevipennis is a small longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae) native to the Palearctic region that has become cosmopolitan through human-mediated transport in timber and wood packaging. Adults measure 4–7 mm in length. The species is polyphagous on dead twigs of broadleaved trees, with documented hosts spanning at least 15 genera including Alnus, Rosa, Fraxinus, Corylus, Ficus, Castanea, Salix, Juglans, Quercus, Morus, Cornus, Ceratonia, Pistacia, Ziziphus, Robinia, and Ostrya. Its invasive spread has led to first records in Australia and other regions outside its native range.
Cerambycidae Cerambycinae Psebiini invasive-species cosmopolitan wood-boring polyphagous timber-pest broadleaved-trees dead-wood decomposer
Rhyssa howdenorum
Rhyssa howdenorum is an ichneumonid wasp that parasitizes Sirex nigricornis, a siricid woodwasp pest of pine trees. It was described by Townes in 1960 and has been studied in central Louisiana pine plantations. The species has a single generation per year, with adults emerging from infested loblolly pine logs between mid-August and early November. It serves as a biological control agent against its host, which damages pine timber.
parasitoid ichneumonid Siricidae pine-plantation biological-control univoltine loblolly-pine timber-pest Louisiana
Stephanopachys substriatus
powder-post beetle, Pine Powderpost Beetle
Stephanopachys substriatus is a species of horned powder-post beetle in the family Bostrichidae. It has a Holarctic distribution, occurring in Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America. The species is commonly known as the powder-post beetle or Pine Powderpost Beetle, reflecting its association with coniferous wood degradation.
powder-post-beetle wood-boring-beetle conifer-pest Bostrichidae Holarctic forest-insect timber-pest
Tarsostenus
checkered beetles
Tarsostenus is a genus of small checkered beetles in the family Cleridae, established by Spinola in 1845. The genus comprises six described species distributed across Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Australia, with one species (T. univittatus) being cosmopolitan in distribution. Members are predators specializing on wood-boring beetles, particularly bostrichids and anobiines. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological features including an oblong pronotum with glabrous streaks and elytra with ten rows of punctations.
Cleridae checkered-beetles predator wood-borer-predator biocontrol timber-pest cosmopolitan
Tetropium parvulum
Northern Spruce Borer
Tetropium parvulum, the northern spruce borer, is a small cerambycid beetle specialized on spruce hosts. It was elevated from synonymy with T. cinnamopterum based on distinct morphological differences in larvae and adults, and exhibits strict host specificity to Picea compared to the conifer generalist T. cinnamopterum. The species has a one-year life cycle and is an economically important borer of white and Engelmann spruce logs in western Canada.
Cerambycidae spruce-borer wood-boring-beetle forest-pest western-Canada conifer-specialist Tetropium Picea economic-pest one-year-life-cycle Tetropium-parvulum Northern-Spruce-Borer Tetropium-cinnamopterum-complex morphological-diagnosis strict-host-specificity Tetropium-alaskanum-synonym Rhimphoctona-alaskensis-parasitoid spruce-log-pest Alberta-forestry boreal-forest-insect phloem-feeder cambium-borer L-shaped-galleries early-summer-emergence woodpecker-predation disease-mortality excess-heat-mortality Tetropium-velutinum-comparison lectotype-designation Tetropium-parallelum Tetropium-schwarzianum coniferous-forest-decomposer primary-borer Tetropium-taxonomy Casey-1891 Canadian-Entomologist economic-entomology forest-health timber-pest spruce-regeneration Picea-glauca-pest Picea-engelmannii-pest western-Canadian-distribution North-American-Cerambycidae Tetropium-morphology larval-urogomphi adult-genitalia pronotal-punctation eye-morphology scutellum-structure host-preference-divergence conifer-specialist-vs-generalist sympatric-species species-elevation-from-synonymy type-specimen-examination diagnostic-key forest-insect-natural-enemies insect-disease-mortality parasitoid-wasp woodpecker-insectivory thermal-mortality gallery-depth overwintering-biology spring-pupation September-larval-maturity one-year-univoltine spruce-logging-impact forest-management integrated-pest-management boreal-forest-ecology subcortical-insect phloeophagous-beetle xylophagous-larvae wood-degradation nutrient-cycling forest-succession disturbance-ecology fire-killed-spruce windthrow-spruce salvage-logging-insect standing-dead-timber spruce-beetle-complex Scolytinae-competitor Cerambycidae-community coniferous-wood-borer-guild North-American-forest-insects western-Canadian-entomology Alberta-entomology British-Columbia-entomology Manitoba-entomology Labrador-entomology transcontinental-distribution boreal-forest-biodiversity spruce-ecosystem-engineer 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Trypodendron
Trypodendron is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. Species in this genus are fungus-farmers that cultivate symbiotic fungi in galleries excavated within wood. Several species, including T. lineatum, T. domesticum, T. signatum, and T. laeve, are economically significant pests of timber. The genus is characterized by specialized pheromone-mediated aggregation behavior and obligate nutritional mutualisms with specific fungal partners.
ambrosia-beetle fungus-farming forest-pest timber-pest pheromone mutualism Scolytinae
Xeris spectrum
wood wasp, horntail
Xeris spectrum is a large horntail or wood wasp in the family Siricidae, notable within its family for lacking the fungal symbionts that other siricid wasps use to aid larval development in wood. Females possess a powerful ovipositor used to drill into coniferous trees and deposit eggs beneath the bark. The species is widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, where it develops in the wood of fir, spruce, pine, and larch. Development from egg to adult takes several years, with larvae emerging in two distinct cohorts—some in summer alongside other wood wasps, others the following spring. The species is considered a timber pest due to larval tunneling that degrades wood quality.
Siricidae wood-wasp horntail conifer-pest xylophagous symbiont-free timber-pest Palearctic Nearctic Holometabolous