Often mistakenly referred to as “wood worm” they are not in fact worms, as most can fly. Yes, wood boring beetles. Where that be a common furniture beetle or the feared death watch beetle, these pests can cause considerable damage to wood work if left undiscovered in an environment which they can thrive. The general lifecycle consists of females laying eggs within cracks, splits or holes created by previous wood boring beetle activity. The larvae “eggs” then hatch and use the wood as a food source from the inside outwards, before reaching the adult stage which is where flight holes can be seen as the species exits the woodwork. The larvae stage of the process is unfortunately difficult to diagnose due to the activity being concealed within the woodwork. A sign of active activity is the presence of frass around flight holes indicating the larvae within is reaching adult stage and exiting through flight holes.
The above image is an example of historic wood boring beetle activity found in a 16th century timber frame dwelling and thankfully, was not active and not affecting the property’s structural integrity.