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How do insects damage the wood of logs and wooden products?
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wood
Temperate softwoods (left column) and hardwoods (right column), selected to highlight natural variations in colour and figure: (A) Douglas fir, (B) sugar pine, (C) redwood, (D) white oak, (E) American sycamore, and (F) black cherry. Each image shows (from left to right) transverse, radial, and tangential surfaces. Click on an individual image for an enlarged view.
Insects damage wood by boring into living trees, logs, and finished wooden products to feed or nest. This process involves several destructive behaviors:1
- Boring and Tunneling: Many insects, such as bark beetles, bore into trees and create intricate channels that disrupt the flow of nutrients, often killing the tree. Other insects, known as wood borers, use their larval stages to bore holes and tunnels deep into the wood.213
- Consumption: Certain insects, particularly termites, feed directly on wood, which they use as a source of cellulose. In severe cases, they can reduce the interior of wooden structures or furnishings to dust, leaving only a thin outer layer intact.41
- Targeting Vulnerable Areas: Once trees are felled, the region between the wood and the bark—which is rich in nutrients—becomes a primary target for infestation.1
To protect wood, foresters and homeowners utilize methods such as prompt debarking, the use of pressure-treated wood, and the application of surface coatings like paint or varnish to deter egg-laying. Infested wood can sometimes be salvaged through heat treatment, fumigation, or the introduction of insecticides.41