Deathwatch beetle
The deathwatch beetle is a small wood-boring beetle known for its mottled brown appearance and is found in temperate climates across the northern United States, southern Canada, Europe, parts of South America, Africa, and southeastern Australia. It typically inhabits old furniture, wooden beams, and decaying tree limbs, with a preference for oak wood. Measuring less than half an inch (1 to 9 millimeters), the deathwatch beetle has a distinctive anatomy, featuring a head tucked beneath its thorax, segmented antennae, and elytra that cover its wings.
Notably, the beetle is recognized for the ticking sounds it produces by banging its head or jaws against wood, which historically has been associated with omens of death, giving the beetle its name. The adult beetle has a brief lifespan of about eight weeks, during which it spends most of its time mating, while the female lays numerous eggs in wood crevices. The larvae, which can feed on wood for up to 13 years, may cause significant damage to wooden structures as they cannot differentiate between living and dead wood. The fascinating life cycle and behaviors of the deathwatch beetle contribute to its intriguing presence in both natural and cultural contexts.
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Deathwatch beetle
It is unknown how the deathwatch beetle received its name, but legends and tales provide hints. One tale describes the knocking sounds made by the adult deathwatch beetle, which are said to be an omen of death. Another story claims the name came from this beetle's habit of waiting for a tree to die before feeding on it.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Anobiidae
Genus: Xestobium
Species: Rufovillosum
The deathwatch beetle is a small, brown, speckled wood-boring beetle common throughout many of the world’s temperate climates. It lives throughout most of the northern United States, southern Canada, and Europe. The beetle also lives in the southernmost parts of South America and Africa, and the southeastern coast of Australia. This beetle inhabits old furniture, wooden beams, and fallen tree limbs. It will eat most types of wood but prefers oak. Its mottled, or unevenly spotted, body easily blends into the deathwatch beetle’s natural habitat.
An adult deathwatch beetle measures less than 1/2 of an inch (1 to 9 millimeters). Like other insects, the deathwatch beetle is divided into three parts—head, thorax, or middle section, and abdomen, or tail section. The head of the deathwatch beetle is a tiny part of its body tucked underneath the protective covering of the upper edge of its thorax. The deathwatch beetle has two small, segmented antennae extending from its head.
Above its head is the deathwatch beetle's thorax. This small section connects the insect's head with its abdomen. It also holds the bases of the deathwatch beetle's six legs.
Its wings lay across the back of the insect's thorax and abdomen. Like other beetles, the deathwatch beetle's wings are covered by elytra, or two wing cases, each called an elytron. The deathwatch beetle's wing cases are attached to its thorax and lift when the beetle uses its wings.
The deathwatch beetle spends most of its life as a larval, or young beetle. During this time, it feeds on a variety of dead hardwood substances. A larval deathwatch beetle can be very destructive. Since it cannot distinguish, or tell the difference, between a dead tree limb and a house beam, it can easily damage homes when feeding.
The deathwatch beetle usually mates between March and June. The deathwatch beetle spends most of its adult life searching for a mate and dies shortly after mating. Searching, it may bang its jaws or head against wood to attract a partner. This makes a ticking sound similar to the tick of a clock. This sound was once believed to be an omen, or sign, of death, which gives the deathwatch beetle its name.
After mating, the female deathwatch beetle lays 40 to 80 small, white eggs in a crack in a piece of wood. The larvae, or young, hatch in late spring or early summer. The 1/2 inch (11 millimeters) pink-white, worm-like larvae crawl into the wood and feed for 1 to 13 years. They grow and molt as they feed, eventually emerging as adult deathwatch beetles. At that time, they search for mates.
The deathwatch beetle lives as an adult for only about eight weeks.
Bibliography
"Deathwatch Beetle." A-Z Animals, 30 Dec. 2021, a-z-animals.com/animals/deathwatch-beetle. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
"Death Watch Beetle (Xestobium Rufovillosum) Identification Guide." The Natural History Museum, www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/common-insect-pest-species-in-homes/death-watch-beetle-xestobium-rufovillosum-identification-guide.html. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.