Hole and dust in wood: termites?

I discovered a hole in the back of one of my old picture frames. There were already a couple of very old-looking holes there back when I bought it. However today I noticed a hole with a brighter, "newer" looking inside and there was what I assume to be wood dust inside it.

Is it some sort of a exit hole for a creature that's been living inside the frame or perhaps termites? I took the frame and put it in the oven (300 degrees F) for a couple of hours to make sure it's "safe".

I also noticed a few holes in the back of a small corner cabinet recently but wasn't sure how old / new those were.. But not ancient I'm sure.

What should I do? If they are termites, can they come and eat all my furniture?

 

Most species of termites usually like to be near the ground/dirt. What you may have is commonly called "wood worm". Many images available on-line.

 

Bluemoon, you already have the correct answer.

But please don't be fearsome of termites.

Don't know where you live, but chances are about .0000000000001% termites are attacking you. In most of the U.S. termites are small grub like who live somewhere in your vicinity and travel from their nest to wherever food is every morning and go home every night. Their scouts may find a better spot so they may never return to a previous one. It can take them years to do any significant damage. So they are not about to eat your furniture.

I've never heard of roasting them. Don't think I'll try it.

 

Could also be powder post beetles.

 

Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside - but only if you roast them. I have seen them eaten "raw" but never had the urge to ingest them that way.

 

I'm 99% sure you're being sarcastic but just to make sure I'll say the oven treatment was meant to rid the frame of any insects.

 

Possibly only hearsay, but the "heat" treatment doesn't work very well unless the item is heated to a specific temperature and for a specific amount of time. Same thing with freezing. The little larvae live for a number of years before becoming beetles and the little buggers are pretty hardy. But once you see the holes, the larvae has morphed and the beetle is gone. What you are most likely seeing is the "exit" hole of a larvae that was inside when you brought the item in. So if you have the wooden item in a fairly dry place (they like damp), they should not re-occur. But double check my statements to be sure. I may be thinking of Mothers-in-law......................

And yes, I have eaten (African) termites, but only roasted.

 

Manson, LUV your sense of humour.

NorthEastern termites that can cause damage.

Different Kinds / Stages of Termites in a Colony:

From left to right: soldier, worker, nymph, larva

So it really makes a huge difference where you live.

The above ones cannot survive in sunlight so they swim (burrow) through the soil and must find wood connected to the soil or build a mud tunnel to reach the food (wood).

If you, Bluemoon, live in this part of the US, they would have to build a mud tunnel to your picture frame. They are not going to quit eating a 2x4 to bore through the wall and your frame.

No, not being sarcastic. A maybe ill attempt at humour. Just trying to help you know they are not multiplying in your home and eating any furniture.

As for the oven treatment, a short spray of insect repellent would have saved a few hours of gas or electricity. Termites are not monsters, please don't be concerned.

NOW! If you live in the southeast USA there are flying termites. They don't crawl or bore to food. They fly to it. Northeast termites - as above - when their nest gets too crowded, will send a bunch of morphed ones, with wings, to fly away and start a new nest. They can be confused with flying ants. But NE flying termites only occur every 5 to 10 years in any one location.

 

We had what we were told were powder post beetles in ONE leg of an antique bed....were told to put (I think) Kerosene in a coffee can and let the leg soak in it for the winter.....we weren't using that bed anyway, so it was fine....and no more evidence of PPBs!!! Our 300 y/o house on Block Island also had them and we NEVER got rid of all of them.....even after soaking them outside for a winter (I think it was in Creosote, but I was a kid and not sure), but it sure lessened them!!! Back in the '50s when parents were restoring the house.......since it was from the ground up, we obviously weren't living in it at the time

 

Yeah. I had a 1720 Colonial with a detached two story three car garage. Unheated. I found second floor evidence of what I was told were powder post beetles. No major damage. They told me most likely long gone, and just brush on a thick coating of (I forget, varnish?) a sealant.

 

Well, I guess some pieces of furniture are holier (or hole-ier) than thou.