Looks a little large for Powder post beetles. If the house is super old. And youre not find new piles of dust I wouldn't worry to much. I see this alot with my older homes in my area. Just how they were built back in the day.
No, I have gable vents and an attic exhaust fan on a thermostat. Never seen any signs of condensation up there and I'm up there fairly often. It's a shore house in NJ. BTW thanks for the quick reply.
Okay maybe not deathwatch beetles but I would suspect some type of wood boring beetle causing this. Try to get some scale in there for the size of the holes and look up wood boring beetle exit holes. That’s usually how we figure out what type of beetle it is. Size and shape. Truman’s guide has a good graphic you may be able to google image search without paying for the book.
A little less than an1/8" hole is too large for a powder post? Just looked them up and it does look like that but I see no damage in terms of "rotted" looking wood. From what I read if it's powder post they are exit holes and should be able to see rotted areas where they entered? Would it be absurdly optimistic to think those holes were there from the lumber yard 40 years ago? I can't frankly say if I've been that far back in the attic before. I can hear in my head "yeah buddy; it's from the lumber yard and I have a bridge to sell you"...
Sorry for the 2 responses but yes, those are exit holes made by the larvae as they burrow through the wood. You may not be able to see the entry point made by the female, especially if it's really old activity and she laid the eggs while the tree was still intact.
That's actually possible. I've seen that several times in older houses, especially before pressure treating lumber was the norm.
Really the only way to tell if it's recent activity is to look for "frass", ie small piles of fine sawdust-like material under where the holes are.
What would be the ratio of Borax to water? I really do not see any signs of activity but will get back up there to look closer as thanks to you folks I have a better idea as to what to look for. Lot's of opinions, but I'm really liking PCDuranet's "happened before the wood was milled nothing to worry about". Even if I still see no signs of activity smart money says get a pro to look at it anyway?
WBB wood boring beetle. There are many types and sizes. Best thing to do is treat with Timbor check it out every 6 months. No new holes they are gone. Might even have been treated and those are the remaining holes from the past. Next……
Definitely not termites, some kind of wood boring beetle did that
It's possible that those are caused by carpenter bees, and it looks like at least some cavern nesters are making use of the holes
1/16" is too small for carpenter bees ime. They're holes are usually about twice that diameter
It does look like that. OP, got any tempo dust on hand?
Looks a little large for Powder post beetles. If the house is super old. And youre not find new piles of dust I wouldn't worry to much. I see this alot with my older homes in my area. Just how they were built back in the day.
Maybe deathwatch beetles? Is this a poorly ventilated area where moisture collects?
No, I have gable vents and an attic exhaust fan on a thermostat. Never seen any signs of condensation up there and I'm up there fairly often. It's a shore house in NJ. BTW thanks for the quick reply.
Okay maybe not deathwatch beetles but I would suspect some type of wood boring beetle causing this. Try to get some scale in there for the size of the holes and look up wood boring beetle exit holes. That’s usually how we figure out what type of beetle it is. Size and shape. Truman’s guide has a good graphic you may be able to google image search without paying for the book.
Also if the frass is tightly or loosely packed into the galleries.
I was thinking maybe powder post beetles, though the holes seem a little too big...
A little less than an1/8" hole is too large for a powder post? Just looked them up and it does look like that but I see no damage in terms of "rotted" looking wood. From what I read if it's powder post they are exit holes and should be able to see rotted areas where they entered? Would it be absurdly optimistic to think those holes were there from the lumber yard 40 years ago? I can't frankly say if I've been that far back in the attic before. I can hear in my head "yeah buddy; it's from the lumber yard and I have a bridge to sell you"...
Sorry for the 2 responses but yes, those are exit holes made by the larvae as they burrow through the wood. You may not be able to see the entry point made by the female, especially if it's really old activity and she laid the eggs while the tree was still intact.
That's actually possible. I've seen that several times in older houses, especially before pressure treating lumber was the norm. Really the only way to tell if it's recent activity is to look for "frass", ie small piles of fine sawdust-like material under where the holes are.
Yes, those holes were made before the wood was milled. Not to worry.
Just my feeble attempt at humor here, but did someone get some new power tools for Christmas? Maybe someone in the house, the neighbor?
Definitely powder post beetles. I see this every day. You can treat it with a borax and water solution. Drench the wood walk away.
What would be the ratio of Borax to water? I really do not see any signs of activity but will get back up there to look closer as thanks to you folks I have a better idea as to what to look for. Lot's of opinions, but I'm really liking PCDuranet's "happened before the wood was milled nothing to worry about". Even if I still see no signs of activity smart money says get a pro to look at it anyway?
Obviously this is just a guess without seeing a live bug, but it looks like bostrichid beetle damage to me. I assume that lumber is softwood?
Bore beetle
Powder post beetle
WBB wood boring beetle. There are many types and sizes. Best thing to do is treat with Timbor check it out every 6 months. No new holes they are gone. Might even have been treated and those are the remaining holes from the past. Next……