Do citrus longhorn beetle larvae crawl into the house?
Do citrus longhorn beetle larvae crawl into the house?
Citrus longhorn beetle larvae generally do not actively crawl indoors, but there are two situations where you might encounter them in the home.
Under normal circumstances
- Citrus longhorn beetle larvae live in living trees or freshly cut timber.
- They bore inside the wood of the trunk and do not emerge on their own.
- So you generally will not see citrus longhorn beetle larvae indoors.
Two exceptional situations
Situation 1: Wood infested with citrus longhorn beetles is used for furniture
- If furniture is made from wood that was infested with citrus longhorn beetles.
- Larvae may still be alive inside the wood.
- Larvae continue to bore inside the wood and eventually emerge as adults.
- This is why adult longhorn beetles sometimes emerge from furniture or wooden flooring.
- Prevention: When buying solid wood furniture, check the surface for holes and wood dust. If holes are already present, inject dinotefuran-containing household insecticide into the holes with a syringe and seal with putty.
Situation 2: Yard trees are infested
- Trees in the yard (citrus, willow, plane trees, etc.) are attacked by citrus longhorn beetles.
- There are boreholes and wood shavings on the trunks.
- After emerging, adults may fly out and be attracted by indoor lights.
- Adults do not bite; if you see one, simply catch and discard it.
How to tell if there are citrus longhorn beetles in the yard?
- Frass and wood shavings at the base of the trunk.
- Cracks and gum exudation on the bark.
- Adults seen crawling on trunks in summer and autumn.
- These signs indicate the tree has been attacked by citrus longhorn beetles.