Hylotrupes

Hylotrupes

*Hylotrupes bajulus*, the House Longhorn or Old House Borer, is the most economically significant cerambycid in the Western Palaearctic, a notorious pest of structural softwood timber in buildings worldwide. Larvae bore deep into dry, processed conifer wood — principally pine sapwood — and development spans 3 to 10 or more years, with females capable of re-infesting the same timber over many decades, ultimately reducing beams to powder. Adults emerge through characteristic oval exit holes in roof timbers and structural woodwork from June to August. Native to the Palaearctic but now cosmopolitan through the global trade in timber, the genus is monotypic.

Seasonal activity

Flight season: Summer–Autumn

Green = active months · Orange = peak

Host plants

Primary hosts: pine

External resources

GBIF · Wikidata · Käfer der Welt

Field tip: Structural timber pest! Cosmopolitan. Look for exit holes in beams, roof timbers, wooden buildings.