What is a woodboring beetle?

A wood-boring beetle refers to any of the families of beetles whose larval or adult forms eat or destroy wood. Three groups of these invasive beetles are a common nuisance to homeowners, damaging the structures of dwellings and even causing damage to furniture.

Powderpost beetles often attack hardwoods, as such woods contain pores in which the beetles lay their eggs. Deathwatch beetles prefer softwoods like the Douglas fir, with a tendency to invade softer, older, decayed woods with a higher moisture content. False powderpost beetles destroy a variety of hardwoods and some softwoods, burrowing tunnels in the wood to lay their eggs.