On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 14:37:05 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 11:13:27 +0100, "Anti-Virus"
wrote:

Does anybody have an idea how to kill these animals without destroying the
paint of my desk.

Buy some commercial bug killer _for_furniture_ (finish safe). This
should come in a squeeze bottle with a variety of long thin nozzles.

Test it against a non-obvious piece of the finish.

Go round every hole and give it a squirt.

Then keep watching, because you've only seen a fraction of the
critters that are in there. Tunneling is done by _larvae_, not adult
critters - they're laid in there as eggs, then they tunnel around a
lot before emerging and flying off. Usually they break out in spring -
if these flight holes are visible now, they've probably flown and gone
anyway. You may have other attacks, if these adults decide to lay
their own eggs in other pieces.

Check all your other furniture for attack.

Repeat your checks every spring.


If you care, you can try to identify the species from the size and
shape of the holes. For some species this is useful to know, because
they might be a species that just attacks green (standing) timber.
Others (like powder post beetle) are much more troublesome, because
the adults will attack and re-infest other pieces of furniture.


What happens if one would take such a piece of furniture and give it
another coat of finish? I have in mind a finish like poly, not oil.
I'm thinking the barrier of the poly resin may keep bugs inside to
die. What do you think?