Beetles Love Songs

When I first started as a Surveyor, now some 30 years ago, the only real conveyed concerns of those thinking about a house purchase revolved around dampness , dry rot and woodworm. These three things were obviously a major worry, and high up in the public consciousness from media coverage of disastrous outbreaks, anecdotal evidence, third or more party as in "friend of a friend" suffering or even first hand experience of the specific issues.

Anyone who has lived in an older property or has had similarly aged furniture will have seen the traces or effects of the common furniture beetle. Small, almost perfectly round or slightly chamfered edged holes denote that the insect has been present. If the wood is very old then the cellulite on which the insect feeds will be very much depleted and of no further interest. Fresh sawdust falls usually indicate an active infestation with potential for the timber, whether a floorboard, joist, skirting, architrave, door or the underside of the staircase to deteriorate. Close inspection is required to determine if an insecticide treatment or wholesale replacement of affected parts  is the correct course of action.

In modern housing with pre-treated timber the likelihood of beetle activity is minimal. It is possible that those under, say 40 years of age who have resided in contemporary housing will have had no experience of woodworm.

In the case of one particular species of wood boring insect I would say with confidence that a good proportion of the population will not have actually seen it, let alone be able to identify it although the Xestobium Rufovillosum is still perhaps the most widely known under its colloquial name of Death Watch Beetle.

This evocative title conjurs up all sorts of images of a powerful and potent insect.

Stories of the damage that they cause to old timbers, for example in churches and period houses strike fear into the minds of any home owner. In fact, it is quite a plain and ordinary creature in appearance suggesting that in its ability to perforate substantial hardwood beams and boughs it is punching well above its body weight.

There is no striking colouration to its shell as you might expect for a prolific tunnelling machine nor substantive size- in fact the average length for the species is around 0.5cm.

Don't be afraid,, Check out the average actual size 

What the Death Watch Beetle does have is a terrifically compelling back story and this has certainly helped to maintain its mystical and fearsome status.

It is a tale from way back in the days of timber frame houses held together by dowel pegs and mud.

The poor unfortunates suffering from a terminal illness, and before any semblance of health care, would be in their family home although that would be probably little more than a hovel.

Given that the life expectancy in Medieval England was only 31.3 years this confinement or "Death Watch" would be quite regular in a typical large family group.

Due reverence for the dying would involve trying to create a quiet and peaceful environment. Most domestic chores of the era would involve clatter and noise from pots, open hearth and loose housebound livestock and so in the enforced near-silence, pre-death, a lot of background sounds would become prominent.

One such was a strange audible tap-tap-tapping that seemed to emanate from the very core of the timber of the building but with no clues as to its source.

The association  of this tapping noise with the family vigil brought about the legend that the sound was the devil himself waiting impatiently, drumming his fingers until the last breath passed from the prone body.

The later revelation that the noise came from a wood munching insect was not sufficient to temper or soften the ominous folklore aspect and so the name Death Watch Beetle became enshrined in popular culture.

It is only in recent studies that the distinctive tap,tap has been revealed as the mating call of the male. Primeval urges cause the male to bang his head on the timber to create the distinctive rhythmic sound.

If there is a response from an interested female, and only the virgin female beetles are compelled to do this then the male lumbers off in a rough approximation of the direction of the reciprocal noise. In the absence of ears the beetle senses sounds through its feet.

It is a matter of trial, error and persistence that gives a chance for mating to take place as both sexes eventually bump into each other.

As with most legends and in relation to the Death Watch Beetle there does tend to be a simple and rather boring explanation.

A bit of a Head Banger