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I have had issues with an insect, which looks like a beetle, in a rented house in a humid mediterranean climate. I noticed they had infested a wooden chair from hearing a faint rattling sound in the night. So I left the chair outside the house. Now I am also hearing a faint sound again and I see insects on the floor beneath the wooden bed frame.

Here is a picture of three specimens shaken from the bed frame:

Three animal specimens shaken from the bed

Here is a picture after crushing them with a fingernail, which makes a soft crackling sound:

Three animals as before, now crushed and dead

And here is a picture of the holes they leave in the wooden frame:

Holes in wooden frame

What is the name of the animal, and how to get rid of it and prevent further infestation?

Update: The house is brick and mortar, not wood. The floors are made of ceramic tiles. It has some wooden elements, such as closets. The house has no visible wooden joists.

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    Possibly powderpost beetles.
    – Jim Stewart
    Jun 11, 2020 at 19:32

2 Answers 2

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One possibility is to remove all wooden furniture and have it destroyed.

Then have the house professionally fumigated to kill any of the pests that might be in the structure.

Worth having the structure checked as it may be that the pests came in with the furniture and are not in the structure so saving you some expense.

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    I agree, it's not likely something you can effectively deal with on your own. You don't know if the wood boring beetles (which is what that looks like) were in the furniture and you have infected the house now, or if they were in the house and have now infected the furniture. Either way, it is a potential DISASTER if not dealt with correctly and immediately.
    – JRaef
    Jun 11, 2020 at 17:06
  • The house is made of brick, not wood. @JRaef is it still a potential disaster?
    – miguelmorin
    Jun 12, 2020 at 6:26
  • @miguelmorin what are the floors made of? Are there wood joists?
    – Solar Mike
    Jun 12, 2020 at 6:35
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    @miguelmorin then you are lucky, all you have to deal with is all the wood furniture as I said in the answer.
    – Solar Mike
    Jun 12, 2020 at 7:09
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    @miguelmorin Is the house entirely constructed of brick and concrete? If there is a 2nd story, you've likely got wood holding up the 2nd floor. If there is there a basement or crawl space, you've likely got wood holding up the 1st floor (under the tile). While you may see a non-wood ceiling above your head and see a tile or asphalt shingle or even metal roof from the outside, there's likely wood in between holding up the ceiling (joists) and the roof (trusses). Worth checking into before you dismiss the potential for risk and damage.
    – FreeMan
    Jun 12, 2020 at 11:25
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If those are powderpost beetles of some kind (see this link) you should reduce the moisture in the wood as much as possible (maybe your bed frame receives moisture when you sleep through the mattress). If there is valuable furniture that you want to save you should check with local pest control for fumigation chambers. In case any wood parts of the building are infested (roof structure, floors, etc.) you need to act immediately and fumigate the whole house (aka tenting) or spot treat with borate insecticide. But in that case you are better off to speak to a professional anyway.

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