One of the Pests I am on the lookout for here in Chelan, Okanogan and Douglas Counties is the Anobiid beetle, also known as the deathwatch beetle. This beetle is much more common in Western Washington due to higher moisture levels. But it does occur here in Central Washington also.

The Deathwatch Beetle name come from the tapping or ticking sound that can be heard in old buildings on quiet summer nights to attract mates. They were associated with those sleepless and quiet nights known for those who are watching the dead and dying.  So the superstitious was seen as “the death watch”, an omen of impending death.

In Edgar Ellen Poe short story The Tell-Tale Heart the narrator begins to feel uncomfortable and notices a ringing in his ears. As the ringing grows louder, the narrator comes to the conclusion that it is the heartbeat of the old man that he dismembered and stashed under the floorboards. Many believe this may have been a reference to the death watch beetle.

This Beetle often carries a misnomer of the Powder Post Beetle. This is actually a different type of beetle which is classified in the insect subfamily of Lyctinae.

Anobiid beetles most frequently infest older homes that have damp crawl spaces or basements. They thrive best in wood that contains moisture content between 14% and 20%. They prefer softwoods such as fir and pine.

Anobiid larvae will spend 4 to 5 years in the wood feeding.  The larvae pupate into adults in late spring and early summer where they begin to emerge from the wood leaving small circular holes resembling small buckshot.

Here are a few examples from my home inspections.

You can see in this photo the buckshot pattern.

Here is the powdery frass that came out when I struck the wood framing above with my hammer.

Stuctural wood destroyed from Anodiid beetle.

Chemical treatment such as borates as well as other formulations may be used. The application of these chemicals is most effective when timed for the adult emergence period.

“If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Red Adair

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

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