Other xylophagous insects : anobiidae

Anobiidae constitute a family of insects whose 2 species tackle the wood :

• deathwatch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum (De Gerr),
• furniture beetle, Anobium punctatum (De Gerr).

Deathwatch beetle

The deathwatch beetle tackles wood beforehand attacked by mushrooms.
The duration of the larval stage is on average 1 to 10 years, but depends on the conditions of temperature, moisture and the degree of fungic attack. Adults emerge in April-May.
The flight holes and the galleries are of circular section from 2 to 4 mms in diameter (photo opposite).
This insect develops in the badly ventilated zones of the dwellings (sides of wood covered with plaster, joistings...) which, humidified in an abnormal way, could be infested by mushrooms.