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Field guide to exotic pests and diseases: Drywood longicorn beetle
Stromatium barbatum Fabricius
Drywood longicorn beetle adult.
Damage made by beetle.
Identification: larvae are elongate and cylindrical with reduced head and legs, to 38mm long and 9.5mm wide. Adult beetles 12-28mm long, reddish-brown to almost black, covered with fine, short buff hairs, antennae up to 1.5 times body length.
Hosts: 350 species of seasoned hardwood and softwood timber and plywood including eucalyptus, pine, elm and oak. Unlike Australian longicorns, drywood longicorn only attacks seasoned timber.
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Mauritius, Madagascar, Pakistan, Nepal and Tanzania.
Detection:Larvae: form irregular tunnels tightly packed with very fine powdery frass; in heavy infestations tunnels can interlace so interior of wood is reduced to powder and exterior surfaces are left intact; can take up to 10 years to emerge. Most often detected in packing material, dunnage, furniture and sporting goods such as cricket bats and stumps.
Adults: emerge during summer, active at night.
Potential impact: potentially of great economic importance in Australia because of its large host range and preference for seasoned timber.