Wood – What’s the name of this wood-eating animal and how to purge it

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I have had issues with an insect, which looks like a beetle, in a rented house in a humid mediterranean climate. I noticed they had infested a wooden chair from hearing a faint rattling sound in the night. So I left the chair outside the house. Now I am also hearing a faint sound again and I see insects on the floor beneath the wooden bed frame.

Here is a picture of three specimens shaken from the bed frame:

Three animal specimens shaken from the bed

Here is a picture after crushing them with a fingernail, which makes a soft crackling sound:

Three animals as before, now crushed and dead

And here is a picture of the holes they leave in the wooden frame:

Holes in wooden frame

What is the name of the animal, and how to get rid of it and prevent further infestation?

Update: The house is brick and mortar, not wood. The floors are made of ceramic tiles. It has some wooden elements, such as closets. The house has no visible wooden joists.

Best Answer

One possibility is to remove all wooden furniture and have it destroyed.

Then have the house professionally fumigated to kill any of the pests that might be in the structure.

Worth having the structure checked as it may be that the pests came in with the furniture and are not in the structure so saving you some expense.

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