House Longhorn Beetle

The House Longhorn Beetle, even though found throughout England this beetle is mainly confined to certain districts such as Surrey and Berkshire where it has caused serious damage to structural timbers.

This woodworm beetle is slightly flattened, measures from 10-20mm in length and is brown or black. The head and first body segments are thickly covered with gray hairs except for smooth central line and two black protuberances on either side of the upper surface.

White spindle-shaped eggs 2mm long are laid in cracks and crevices in the wood. Each female beetle may lay up to 200 eggs and larvae may hatch in about two weeks. After crawling on the wood surface they start boring into the timber. The larva is fleshly bodied white grub and when fully grown may be 32mm long. The duration of the larval stage may vary from 3-11 years. The damage caused in softwood sapwood during this lengthy larval stage may be considerable.

Where would I find the House Longhorn Beetle?

The House Longhorn Beetle can be found in roof timbers where it attacks the sapwood of softwood species which leads to serious structural defects. The holes and tunnels created by the longhorn beetle are visably larger than furniture beetles.

More on woodworm and treatments

To find out more about treating and limiting the damage from woodworm, visit the following webpages:

What is Woodworm? information on woodworm beetles and advice on determining woodworm infestations
Woodworm Lifecycle from larve to adult, the importance of fast treatment to limit damage
Woodworm Tips & Treatments help and advice and how to treatwoodworm including preventitve measures

Longhorn Woodworm suspected? Contact Verminate for free impartial advice.

If you suspect you may have a possible woodworm infestation please contact Verminate for advice. Fast action is required, if 60% of the timber is damaged replacement is neccesary after the infestation has been stopped. If you believe you have woodworm call our main or one of our local office's for a site visit where we can inspect and advise on what treatment is neccesary.

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