Death-Watch Beetle

6231 These little guys recently showed up in the last week (end of May) in my basement. I noticed them on the floor, ceiling, around the windows and around the door to the mechanical room where we brought in some wood from the garage in the winter. The weather lately has been mild and wet, with temperatures fluctuating.

Number 6231 – This appears to be a death-watch beetle in the genus Ptilinus (Coleoptera: Anobiidae); see Click here for some images. These likely came in as larvae within the firewood; their larvae bore in the wood of several hardwood species, but are not known to attack wooden structures.