The old house borer is one of the most injurious wood-boring insects inhabiting New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The name is somewhat misleading since a large number of infestations are noticed in homes just four to seven years after construction. The larva bores through wood and also feeds on it. Tunnels made by the larva weaken structural timbers. The borers feed only in pine, spruce, and other coniferous woods.

The old house borer is native to North Africa and is believed to have arrived in North America around 1875. The beetles currently range from Maine to Florida and west to Michigan and Texas.

The adult beetles emerge mainly during July and August. They mate, then the female deposits her eggs in the natural cracks and crevices of the bark of felled logs and in wood stored in lumberyards. Subsequently, infested timber may be used in newly constructed buildings. In wood, the larval stage may last from three to fifteen years. The average time for the borers to reach maturity in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania (in structures heated year long) appears to be from five to seven years.

The majority of borers are secreted in the thicker timbers of a building. Very few ever have been located in wood less than one-inch thick. Nearly all the structural infestations in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are started by old house borer larvae in some of the original construction timber.

Most infestations remain localized. However, where excessive wood moisture is found, such as poorly vented attics and leaky roofs, beetles will flourish, spread to other structural items and cause much damage in a short period of time.

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/old-house-borer

Powderpost beetles breed in dead and dried hardwoods such as the dead branches and limbs of trees. Their presence is overlooked until they are discovered in stored lumber, rafters, joists, finished wood, and furniture products. As a rule, they enter lumber while it is being stored and cured, then later, emerge from the finished product. Old items of furniture and wood antiques are especially vulnerable to attack by the beetles.

Adult beetles deposit eggs in the pores and exit holes of seasoned lumber, usually in the spring. The mature larvae are small, white grubs about 1/5-inch in length. They produce the fine sawdust mentioned previously. The larvae overwinter in the wood and reach their adult stage in spring.

Adult beetles emerge from the wood through small round exit holes. Powderpost beetles prefer the sapwood of oak and other hardwoods and many of the insects will continue to breed in an infested piece of wood for generations. This practice can result in an ultimate destruction of the wood.

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/powderpost-beetles

Also commonly known as false blister beetles. Wharf borers are present in all the states of the USA except for Florida. It takes about a year to develop from an egg to an adult. The insect is called the ‘wharf borer’ because the larval stage of this insect is often found on pilings and timbers of wharves, especially along coastal areas.

The adult beetles can be identified via a black band across the end of both elytra, or wing covers. In addition, wharf borers can be distinguished from other members of the Oedemeridae family via the presence of a single spur on the tibia of the forelegs, and the distance between both eyes (twice the length of one eye). Eggs are oviposited on rotten wood where larvae hatch and burrow to feed on rotten wood.

Adults do not feed and depend on stored energy reserves accumulated during the larval stage. They are considered to be a pest because they damage wood used in building infrastructures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wharf_borer

Carabid beetles, an insect group containing ground and tiger beetles, are important biological control agents in agroecosystems. With their large eyes, spiny powerful legs, and large jaws, carabid beetles are formidable predators in the insect world. They live on the surface of the soil where they capture and consume a wide assortment of soil dwelling insects, including caterpillars, wireworms, maggots, ants, aphids and slugs. Several ground beetles will also eat the seeds of troublesome weeds and are considered one of the “many little hammers” that help regulate weed populations (Liebman and Gallandt 1997).

Conserving ground beetles through habitat manipulations and cultural practices can enhance the natural regulation of arthropod pest and weed populations, reducing the need for chemical controls. Carabid beetles are an incredibly diverse group of insects with over 40,000 species worldwide, 2,000 of which inhabit North America. Adult ground beetles range in size from 2mm to over 35mm (about 1/8 inch to 1 ¼ inch). Many of the nocturnal species are dark black or brown; these are the ones that scurry away for cover when you turn over a dirt clod, rock, or log. Ground beetles can be distinguished from darkling beetles, which are also dark colored and reside on the soil surface, by how fast they move. Diurnal (day- active) species tend to be iridescent and brightly colored or patterned. Carabid beetles typically have long legs, which allow them to move rapidly to capture prey and avoid other predators.

Carabid beetles live in nearly every available habitat, although some species are associated with particular ecosystems, like meadows, woodlands, or crop fields. Due to the habitat specificity of some species, these beetles can be used as biological indicators to assess land use changes among different ecosystems. Carabid beetles employ a wide variety of ecological strategies, however some generalizations can be made to represent the majority of species. Carabid beetles exhibit complete metamorphosis. This means that the insect passes through four separate stages of growth: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. On average, carabid beetles produce one generation per year. After finding a suitable site, females will singly deposit between 30 and 600 oval eggs within the soil or in the layer of plant residues on the soil surface. Protected egg sites are very important because young larvae have limited mobility for finding food and their relatively soft bodies are vulnerable to predators.

Parental care, including egg guarding and seed cacheing, has been observed in some species that produce small litters. Species are sometimes distinguished as either having winter or summer larvae. Larvae live entirely under the soil surface, where they pupate usually after three larval stages. Adults can live between one and four years. Larger species, as well as those that over-winter as larvae, tend to have the longest life spans (Lovei and Sunderland 1996). While many ground beetle species have functional wings, flight is used primarily for dispersal, such that they spend nearly their entire lives on the ground.

Some have also been observed climbing plants in search of prey. Carabid beetles are considered to be mostly opportunistic feeders that consume a variety of foods; however, the majority of species have been observed as primarily predatory, feeding on other insects and related organisms. Most species locate food by random search, although some day-active (diurnal) species hunt by sight.

A few species have also been observed to detect chemical cues from springtails, mollusks, and aphids (Lovei and Sunderland 1996). Females tend to have a more varied diet than males. A greater diversity of food types in females has been linked to greater egg size and egg number (Lovei and Sunderland 1996). Larvae and adults typically have similar feeding habits; however, larval diets are more restricted due to a limited search range underground. The natural diets of carabid beetles are still widely undetermined.

Laboratory studies have shown that carabid beetles will eat nearly anything offered, however they typically show food preferences and it is unclear whether or not these feeding habits are typical in nature (Larochelle 1990, Tooley and Brust 2002). Prey preferences can change throughout their life cycle based on nutritional needs or a change in the resources or environment.

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ground-beetles