WDO Look-alikes

A homeowner reports tiny round holes about 1/16 to 1/8 inch in diameter peppering a hardwood oak floor, with small piles of fine, flour-like powder sifting out beneath the holes. Which wood-destroying organism is most consistent with these signs?

• Subterranean termites
• Carpenter bees
• Powderpost beetles ✓
• Carpenter ants

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A swarm of winged insects is found on an interior windowsill. Under a hand lens, the technician sees straight, bead-like (non-elbowed) antennae, a broad waist with no narrow constriction between the thorax and abdomen, and two pairs of wings that are all roughly equal in length. Which insect do these features identify?

• A winged (reproductive) ant
• A winged (alate) termite ✓
• A carpenter bee
• A powderpost beetle

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During an inspection, smooth, clean galleries are found excavated in a damp door frame, with no soil or mud lining and small piles of sawdust-like shavings nearby. The activity is attributed to carpenter ants. Regarding how carpenter ants damage wood, which statement is correct?

• Carpenter ants eat the wood they tunnel through, digesting the cellulose like termites do
• Carpenter ants do not eat the wood; they excavate and remove it to create nesting galleries ✓
• Carpenter ants pack their galleries with mud tubes carried up from the soil
• Carpenter ants bore only into the surface paint and do not enter the wood itself

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