Carpenter Ants vs. Powderpost Beetles

When you see tiny holes and sawdust-looking scraps building up around the wooden structures and surfaces in your home, it’s easy to assume that you have carpenter ants, carpenter bees, or worse, termites. However, there are some other culprits in Wisconsin that bore holes into our wooden homes. Some researchers estimate that powderpost beetles are the second leading contributor to insect-based property damage in the United States. To learn what pest is tearing through your walls, read on for help from the Batzner Pest Control technicians.

What Are Powderpost Beetles?

The name “powderpost beetles” actually refers to a category of beetles that live in and eat through hardwoods. Unlike carpenter ants, who only chew through wood to create tunnels to lay their eggs in, powderpost beetles consume the wood that they crew through. When powderpost beetles eat wood, they leave behind fine wooden flakes that resemble sawdust.

Look for these features to help you identify powderpost beetles on your property:

• Beetles that range from 1/8-1/4” in length
• Narrow bodies with dark red, brown, or black colors
• Long wings and flight capability

What’s the Difference between Powderpost Beetles and Carpenter Ants?

Depending on which pest you’re dealing with, you will have to take different pest control measures. So, how can you tell if the damage to your wooden structures has been caused by powderpost beetles or carpenter ants?

1. Start by looking around the areas of damage to try to find active pest activity.
2. Next, look at the texture of the damage. Powderpost beetles bore holes from approximately .03 to .3 inches in diameter, depending on the size of the beetle. Carpenter ants’ damage is messier-looking with the appearance of tears or striations.
3. Both pests leave behind sawdust-like scraps where they’ve bored. If you find this around your house, look nearby to try to identify the damage.

Wood-Boring Pest Control in Wisconsin

Finding powderpost beetles or carpenter ants in your home can be distressing. If you’re worried about them causing more damage and want to get rid of them quickly, contact your local pest control company. At Batzner Pest Control, we use pest control strategies that are both safe and effective. We gear our approach towards teaching our customers about how the pests chose their homes to infest and what they can do to prevent future problems. For a free quote, contact us today!