🪲Deathwatch beetle

The deathwatch beetle is a species of woodboring beetle that sometimes infests the structural timbers of old buildings. The adult beetle is brown and averages 7 mm (0.3 in) in length. Eggs are laid in dark crevices in old wood inside buildings, trees, or tunnels left behind by previous larvae. The larvae bore into the timber, feeding for up to ten years before pupating, after which they emerge from the wood as adult beetles. Timber that has been damp and is affected by fungal decay is soft enough for the larvae to chew through. They obtain nourishment by using enzymes present in their gut to digest the cellulose and hemicellulose in the wood.

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