The holidays are officially over. The last football game of the college season has been played, the decorations are going back into their boxes, and life is returning back to normal. But wait, what is that you see as you retrieve your super cool, mexican wooden skeleton? Fine bits of sawdust all over the inside of the bag you stored it in! Nothing to worry about… or is there?
Yes, in fact there is. This can be the sign that powder post beetles have taken up residence in your art. More accurately, they may have been there the whole time and are just now being noticed. When you look at the wood, you can see bunches of little tiny holes all over the surface. This is when you know you have a problem.
What happens is actually pretty straightforward. Wood is made into furniture, mantles, decorative doorways, crosses and many other wonderful expressions of Latino culture. That wood contains the beetles in larval form. After it is carved, shipped and sold here in the USA, the bugs have a chance to exit. This puts not just your art at risk, but also other wooden parts of your home and decorations.
So what do you do? First off, do not panic. Do not rush around the house grabbing anything that could also have the bugs inside and throw them away. Carefully inspect them to see if they show similar signs of activity. Place all affected items into a plastic bag and have them inspected by a University Termite & Pest Control professional. They will determine exactly what is going on and prescribe an appropriate course of action.
At the end, it’s pretty simple. If you want to be pest free, call University.
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