Insect pests of wood

Various insects can cause extensive damage to wood products.

The particular enemies of structural timbers and furniture are anobiid and lyctid beetles, notably the furniture beetle, the deathwatch beetle and the powder-post beetles. The majority of termites are earth-dwelling species that attack any wood in contact with the ground; but the dry-wood termites, which are independent of the ground, include several destructive and widely transported species. In many parts of the world, the old house borer, wood wasps and wood-boring caterpillars seriously infest timber and wooden structures.