Common Furniture Beetle vs Four-toothed Mason Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Furniture Beetle Four-toothed Mason Wasp
Scientific Name Anobium punctatum Monobia quadridens
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Ptinidae Vespidae
Size 2.7–4.5 mm 16-19 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Australia Eastern North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Common Furniture Beetle

The most common cause of woodworm damage in buildings across Europe. Larvae bore through softwood and hardwood for three to five years before emerging.

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Did You Know?

The characteristic round exit holes in old furniture are produced by the adults chewing their way out after pupation.

Four-toothed Mason Wasp

A solitary black and white mason wasp that nests in hollow stems and old carpenter bee tunnels. It provisions cells with paralyzed moth caterpillars.

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Did You Know?

It divides its nest tunnel into multiple cells using mud partitions, each containing one egg.