Jun 4, 2012 – Wharf Borer Wars
QUESTION:
I am an exterminator in NY and service a bar/restaurant that each spring has a problem with wharf borers. They are not present in large numbers but they do resemble German roaches so each one is a problem. The place is over a large unfinished basement that is always wet or at least damp, although the floor beams of the restaurant are high enough to stay dry. The literature is a little sparse on wharf borers. What can you suggest?
ANSWER:
Wharf borers are beetles in the family Oedemeridae, and yes they could somewhat resemble German roaches, although a close look by anyone qualified to make an ID would separate them. They lack the black stripes on the thorax that German roaches have and are an overall orange color with a black patch at the tips of the wings. I assume that the problem comes when patrons of this restaurant see one and think the place has roaches. The adult beetles do not even feed and are of no concern whatsoever, other than the fact that they are going to make more of their kind.
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I am an exterminator in NY and service a bar/restaurant that each spring has a problem with wharf borers. They are not present in large numbers but they do resemble German roaches so each one is a problem. The place is over a large unfinished basement that is always wet or at least damp, although the floor beams of the restaurant are high enough to stay dry. The literature is a little sparse on wharf borers. What can you suggest?
ANSWER:
Wharf borers are beetles in the family Oedemeridae, and yes they could somewhat resemble German roaches, although a close look by anyone qualified to make an ID would separate them. They lack the black stripes on the thorax that German roaches have and are an overall orange color with a black patch at the tips of the wings. I assume that the problem comes when patrons of this restaurant see one and think the place has roaches. The adult beetles do not even feed and are of no concern whatsoever, other than the fact that they are going to make more of their kind.
The literature on these beetles states consistently that they feed only on wood that is very wet and even rotting. Dry wood is not attractive to them, so obviously the continual dampness of the wood in this basement is the attraction, and at some point in time the owners really should address that problem before the place falls in. If any of that very wet, decayed wood is of structural importance it eventually is going to lose its strength and the restaurant will have much bigger problems on their hands. Perhaps they should consult with an engineer or someone else qualified to give advice on how to place moisture barriers to prevent the moisture problem. This might be as simple as just covering the soil with the proper moisture barriers to keep the soil moisture from entering the air in that unfinished basement and to keep the wood drier.
Ending the moisture problem is, of course, the best long term solution to this problem. If the customer is unwilling to do this for some reason you may consider a treatment of the wood, assuming all the wood there is also unfinished, with a borate product like Bora-Care. This will soak into the wood and hopefully kill any beetle larvae feeding within. It also will help to kill wood decay fungus that probably is present there as well. But, the better solution is moisture barriers properly installed so that the wood that attracts the beetles dries out and no longer draws them.
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