In article , Peter Ashby
writes
Z wrote:

A few properties I maintain have infestations of furniture beetle,
varying in degree from small areas to two or three rooms.

I have a few questions about the spread of infestations and eradication
of them.

How do they get in the property in the first instance? Obviously
infected timbers or furniture brought into a property can introduce an
infestation but can they be brought in underfoot or on clothes (if
someone is working in an infested property) for instance?

The adult beetles can fly, so they fly to the house, get in through some
thing like an air brick and lay their eggs. However many beetles are
tropical and come here in exotic furniture timbers, emerging from the
finished piece in nice centrally heated environments. They can then only
spread within the warm space of the property. If your properties are
empty and unheated at this time of year, chances are everything will be
dormant. Just don't take any wood from infested properties home and sit
it in your heated house.

Is there a risk I could take these furniture beetles home on my clothes,
footwear and coveralls and infest my own home by working in an infested
property? How can I best prevent taking the furniture beetles home if
such a risk does exist?

I suppose you could sit in your car with the windows closed and spray
insecticide before returning home but the insecticide will affect you
too. I wouldn't worry about it.

The general debris from the properties are cleaned out with brush and
shovel and commercial vacuum cleaner. Can the furniture beetles, their
larvae etc be transferred in the brushes or vacuum cleaners? Is there
something that can be applied to brushes and/or put in a vacuum cleaner
bag to kill off any beetles or their young if they do get in?

well the young are in the wood, the holes are their exit holes made as
they emerge as adults, so you are very unlikely to have live grubs in
your vaccuum and if you did they would be smothered by the dust, ditto
any adults. But if you are worried, dispose of the bag before returning
home.

The Anobium punctatum's main source of food is wood. Do they also eat
paper, food scraps? What else are they partial to?

You want the specialised paper feeders for that one, consult a
librarian's group for lots of gruesome stories there.

Obviously in the more infested properties timbers will have to be
replaced and a commercial firm called in to spray.
In the smaller infestations is there a commercial off the shelf chemical
(one that doesn't require special licensing to purchase) that can be
sprayed, painted or applied otherwise oneself, with proper safety
precautions of course?

Yes, the sheds carry such things. Though if you are contracting someone
to treat the structure of the building they would doubtless quote for
furniture as part of the job.

Peter

I fear I have taken them home so I will need to treat my house as well
:-(

I found castings, tiny sand coloured insects and dead beetles under the
fridge this morning when I pulled the refrigerator out to clean and
defrost it.
These are the same species I have found at the properties I maintain.

I will need to treat my own house myself.
Any recommendations for chemicals? I can get out the house for a week in
May.
--
Z
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