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  • Wharf Borer Beetles

    Wharf Borer
  • Wharf Borer
  • Wharf Borer
  • Wharf Borer
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Elimination

It is often difficult to completely eliminate a wharf borer infestation because, as mentioned below, the source of the problem is often in wooden parts of the foundation. However, you can control the damage by treating any damp and/or rotten wood surfaces you can reach with a residual insecticide such as Maheu&Maheu Crawling Insect Killer . Of course, removing the source of the infestation would be best, but this is often impossible or extremely difficult and costly.

Actions

  • Get rid of the wood where the infestation originated (if possible)
  • Spray or treat room perimeters with an insecticide wherever insects have been found

Prevention

  • Keep wood from direct contact with the ground

Description and development

Wharf borers (Nacerda melanura ) are winged beetles in the family Oedemeridae. They are holometabolous, in other words they go through a complete life cycle. The adult varies from 9 to 13 mm long, whereas the mature larva measures about 30 mm. Wharf borers are easy to recognize because the front part of the body is brownish- or reddish-yellow while the tips of their elytra (rigid wings) are black. The sides of the thorax and legs are black and the body is completely covered in yellowish hairs.
The wharf borer’s life cycle can last several years. It lays its eggs in damp, rotten wood. Adults wandering around the home from spring to fall are a good indication that you have an infestation. You won’t see the larvae unless you find them by accident in infested wood, which is quite rare since the problem usually occurs in the foundation

Habits

The larvae attack damp and/or rotten wood and cause considerable damage by boring galleries through it. Because of the insect’s color and the fact that the adults wander about the house, they are often mistaken for cockroaches.

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