Beetle attack

[RogerS]

Just came across this unwelcome site in one of the very old oak beams in our bathroom.

Then I looked closer and found another three

Hole sizes are about 3mm as far as I can see.

Please don't tell me that it's DWB.

Mods - will try and make the images smaller tomorrow morning

 

[bjm]

DWB larval galleries are ~3mm and the frass is typically bun shaped rather than granular. Difficult to tell from the photos but worth getting it checked out by an expert

Brian

 

[RogerS]

Not sure what people mean when they say 'bun-shaped' and I can't track down any images on the web. My frass is powdery, I'd say.

 

[bjm]

Sorry Roger, it was late. If you look at the frass under low magnification (10x) it is compressed into pellets that (literally) look like buns (for DWB). Powder post beetle holes are a similar size but their frass is more granular. I couldn't find any images to show you either. This is why it is worth consulting an expert to get this verified.

Brian