WOOD DESTROYING INSECTS

House longhorn beetle  (Hylotrupes bajulus)

Damaging effect:

• Wood species: softwood, especially spruce
• Damage: chews up the sapwood, leads to large wood losses
• Exit holes: oval, diameter approx. 5-8 mm
• Consequences: weakening of the wood, reduced durability, reduction in value

Larva:

• Feeding: prefers the protein-rich sapwood of coniferous wood, especially spruce
• Damage: drills tunnels into the wood
• Development:
  • period: on average 4-5 years / német: Dauer: Durchschnittlich 4-5 Jahre
  • pupation in the wood
• Activity period: late spring to early autumn

WOOD DESTROYING FUNGI

Dry rot (Serpula lacrymans)

Damaging effect:

• Material: mainly pine wood, but also deciduous trees
• Damage: decomposition of the cellulose, loss of strength
• Consequences: damage to buildings: Reduced stability, fractures
• Extra: high tolerance to dry conditions

Fruiting body

• Appearance: initially white and cottony, later yellowish to reddish-brown, edge remains white
• Size: not specified
• Consistency: thick fleshy
• Development:
  • Spread: spore spread by air, mycelium growth
  • Period: fruiting bodies appear approx. 2-3 years after mycelium formation

Mycelium (fungal filaments)

• Appearance: grayish-white, plate-like or cord-like
• Spread: up to 20 m
• Penetration capacity: brick, stone, concrete
• Function: nutrient uptake, dispersal

Contacts