Class: Insects
Size: 2.5 to 5mm
Weight: Variable
Age: 1 to 8 years
Appearance: Brown (beetle), yellowish-white (larva)
Food: Dead wood
Distribution: Worldwide,
Original location: Unknown
Habitat: Forests, houses
Threatened with extinction: No

• The common furniture beetle is the most important native beetle and is also widespread throughout Europe. When it comes to art, furniture, musical instruments and daily necessities made of wood, the first thing to mention is that it is an insect that destroys wood. Because it finds the best conditions for development in a cool, damp room, furniture in sacred buildings such as pews, altars, wooden figures etc. are particularly at risk. In areas with high humidity and moderate temperature, roof structures, stables and similar objects can also be destroyed.
• Its natural habitat is the forest with its dead wood. Unfortunately, the beetles can also infest built-in wood and therefore often occur in houses. This wood pest mainly colonises wet wood and requires a relatively high air humidity.
• Furniture beetles are usually able to fly and can find new egg-laying sites during flight.
• The larvae feed on sapwood. Heartwood is only rarely attacked. If the larva is active, this can be recognised by the emergence of wood flour. If black paper or similar is placed under the affected area, the infestation activity can be seen after a few days. A period of several days is necessary, as the larvae occasionally take feeding breaks.
• The larvae of the furniture beetle require more than 10 % wood moisture and prefer cool places – therefore they rarely occur in centrally heated rooms. Critical areas are damp rooms or places where cool/wet floors occur. The common furniture beetle can therefore also infest centuries-old wood.