We also just noticed today that the damage you attributed to the powderpost beetles seems to correlate with areas where there had been old glue (brittle and brownish, so appears to be a hide glue). Perhaps there was a protein attraction at play as well as moisture?
Dee Dee Stubbs-Lee, CAPC, MA Conservator / Restauratrice New Brunswick Museum/ Musée du Nouveau-Brunswick 277 Douglas Avenue Saint John, New Brunswick E2K 1E5 Canada (506)643-2341 From: 'bugman22' via Museumpests [mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 3:01 PM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: [pestlist] need help with identification of beetle from damage on furniture and larval skins I forgot to mention, the larval skins appear to be old black carpet beetle castings. Tom -----Original Message----- From: Dee Stubbs-Lee <dee.stubbs-...@nbm-mnb.ca<mailto:dee.stubbs-...@nbm-mnb.ca>> To: pestlist@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com> <pestlist@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com>> Sent: Tue, Aug 13, 2019 1:50 pm Subject: RE: [pestlist] need help with identification of beetle from damage on furniture and larval skins Thanks, Tom! It is certainly the worst case of beetle damage I have encountered to date. It is encouraging that you are also thinking it is old damage. I, too, had also wondered about possible past storage on a damp surface – anything is possible, although there is no obvious musty odour or fungal growth currently. I should have mentioned that the legs appear to have had casters or other secondary feet at one time, but these are no longer with the piece. There are smaller flight holes scattered throughout the whole piece (mostly in drawer bottoms) without any associated frass remaining, but this damage around the leg was far more substantial. Dee Dee Stubbs-Lee, CAPC, MA Conservator / Restauratrice New Brunswick Museum/ Musée du Nouveau-Brunswick 277 Douglas Avenue Saint John, New Brunswick E2K 1E5 Canada (506)643-2341 From: 'bugman22' via Museumpests [mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 2:26 PM To: pestlist@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: [pestlist] need help with identification of beetle from damage on furniture and larval skins Dee - Knowing where you are located, the fact some of the wood appears to be hardwood, and the large diameter of the exit holes and galleries, I would guess it's extremely old deathwatch beetle. I think the desk probably either sat in water or at least a very moist area for an extended period of time before it was salvaged and ended up at your place. Could it have been stored in an old barn? or similar situation? This type of beetle attacks wood damaged by fungal invasion. I've rarely seen it in my 43-year career. Tom Parker -----Original Message----- From: Dee Stubbs-Lee <dee.stubbs-...@nbm-mnb.ca<mailto:dee.stubbs-...@nbm-mnb.ca>> To: pestlist@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com> <pestlist@googlegroups.com<mailto:pestlist@googlegroups.com>> Sent: Tue, Aug 13, 2019 11:56 am Subject: [pestlist] need help with identification of beetle from damage on furniture and larval skins Hi all, On Friday, one of my colleagues was trying to shift a slant front desk a few inches on a carpeted surface. One of the legs caught on the carpeting and cracked readily . (We do know that neither carpeting in storage areas or moving furniture solo is good practice, but sometimes we don’t live in an ideal world!). Upon examination, it was apparent that the damaged area had previously been heavily compromised by insect damage. The desk had been frozen upon arrival at the museum in 2012, as per our normal IPM procedures, but the artifact had not yet been cleaned or thoroughly examined, so we weren’t aware of the insect damage, which is concentrated on the underside of the furniture and so not readily visible. I believe the infestation was not currently active, as during cleaning and careful examination I found no insect bodies or live larvae, however I did find two cast larval skins. There was also plenty of frass, tunnels and flight holes. The furniture came to us from a collector in New Brunswick, Canada. The desk is dated to the last quarter of the eighteenth century, and is believed to be of British or American origin; not much else is known about its history. It is mahogany veneer over a variety of secondary woods. Can you help us identify which beetle species caused the damage? 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