Death clocks

Anobium punctatum

Appearance:

Adult 5-7 mm in size. Dark reddish brown with yellowish, scale-like hair dots on pronotum and elytra.
Larva: 10 mm. Creamy white, hooked, with upright golden yellow hairs and dark brown mandibles on the head.

Reproduction:

3-4 eggs are laid in the cracks of wooden surfaces. Eggs whitish, oval. Hatch after 2 to 5 weeks.
Larva causes most damage as it bores through wood for 5 to 10 years.
Larva pupates just before it emerges from the wood. Between March and June, the finished insect eats through the surface of the wood and leaves behind a characteristic flight hole.

Way of life:

Lives in deadwood of various deciduous tree species that has been weakened by fungal infestation.
In buildings it is found almost exclusively in old hardwood, especially in large oak beams.