Long, narrow snouts identify weevils. Wood-boring weevils eat only wood. Unlike most weevils and other insects on this list, it's not a pest. Because it exclusively eats fungus-digested wood.
Seventy genera of powderpost beetle are pests. Their larvae dig into wood and leave sawdust-like powder. The starch in the wood sustains the larvae as they develop and mature for months or years.
Horntails are solitary wasps with a huge spike at the end of their abdomen. Larvae burrow deep into trees after hatching from eggs laid by adults. Two or three years.
Worldwide, there are 500 carpenter bee species. Few live in hives. They chew wood to make nests, like carpenter ants. They tunnel into dead wood to reach egg and larval cells.
They reside in dead trees and logs. Their nests are wood galleries connected by tunnels. They infest buildings, causing structural damage.
This beetle family comprises numerous species. Some larvae and adults devour wood. All are harmful. Dead or decaying trees are important for forest ecology. New trees replace dead ones.
Termites' closest relatives are cockroaches, not other social insects. Wood-eating termites are found worldwide in large numbers. Workers ingest and digest cellulose to feed the army, king, queen, and juveniles.