Illinois Home Inspector Practice Exam

Which pest is known for burrowing in soft woods with straight grain?

1. Termites

2. Carpenter ants

3. Carpenter bees

4. Woodboring beetles

The correct answer is: Carpenter bees

Carpenter bees are known for their distinctive behavior of burrowing into soft woods with a straight grain. They use their strong mandibles to excavate tunnels, typically in unpainted or weathered wood, which has a fine grain that facilitates their burrowing process. Unlike termites, which consume the wood they invade, carpenter bees create tunnels primarily for nesting purposes, making them a unique concern for homeowners. Their activity can lead to structural damage over time if left unchecked, highlighting the importance of regular inspections, particularly in areas with untreated wood. While termites also cause significant wood damage, they primarily eat and digest the cellulose in wood, making their destruction more catastrophic and often harder to detect until severe damage has occurred. Carpenter ants invade wood as well but don’t bore into it as directly as carpenter bees; instead, they usually excavate galleries within wood that has been previously damaged (for instance, by moisture) rather than healthy, solid, straight-grained wood. Woodboring beetles do lay eggs in the wood, and their larvae create holes as they feed, but this behavior is more characteristic of hardwoods and seasoned wood rather than the specific burrowing patterns observed in carpenter bees.