Hardwood Floors April/May 2026

By Bryan McCue

The flooring was installed in most of the main floor of the home. I found two <1/8” fairly clean holes in the dining room area. I used a tool to penetrate the holes to see if they went into the subfloor and if I could get any other evidence. It appeared the holes were only in the oak flooring through the entire 5/8” thickness. With a macro photo lens, I could see the finish around the hole appeared fractured and jagged like something had broken through it. The homeowner had put clear scotch tape over a group of what appeared to be black larvae. I took photos, but couldn’t see any current insect activity. I was able to inspect a small section of the crawl space under the floor area near the holes. There was no moisture barrier other than smaller pieces of old plastic lying on the wet dirt. I also could smell mildew. I informed the homeowner that the issue needed attention. I could not see any insect activity in the limited area of the crawl space I could get into. I conducted the site inspection and told him without seeing the actual insect, I could not determine exactly what was occurring. I shared with him the section on insect issues in NWFA’s Problems, Causes and Cures publication, which focuses mainly on powderpost beetles and, in some instances, termites. I suggested they watch for insect activity and perhaps get a pest control company to examine the site. Often, insects found in wood flooring are introduced to the material after they leave the manufacturer, as they would otherwise not survive the kiln drying process.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRYAN MCCUE

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