Spotted rodent beetle
| Spotted rodent beetle | ||||||||||||
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Pied rodent beetle ( Xestobium rufovillosum ) |
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| Xestobium rufovillosum | ||||||||||||
| ( De Geer , 1774) |
The pied rodent beetle or colorful pound beetle ( Xestobium rufovillosum ) belongs to the family of rodent beetles (Ptinidae).
It is popularly known as the dead clock because during the mating season the male hits the wood with his head to attract females. According to old folk belief, this knocking was associated with the death of the people who stayed in a room who were infested with these bugs. One therefore spoke of the dead clock .
The beetles become 5 to 7 millimeters long. They are thus the largest species of rodent beetles (Ptidinidae, formerly Anobiidae) native to Central Europe and their most common representatives here. Her body is dark brown and has yellow-gray patches of hair all over her body. These have also given him name additions such as “colorful” or “piebald”. The beetles like to sit on flowers.
The larvae live in oak and willow wood , also in built-up wood . The pied rodent beetle is considered a secondary pest as it only infects wood that has already been damaged by wood-destroying fungi . However, through intensive feeding, the beetle larvae can considerably accelerate and intensify the destruction of the wood. In the case of remediation, the focus is on eliminating the cause and combating the fungal attack.
mythology
Its decomposing activity has a disadvantageous effect in people's living quarters and is often associated with quiet, but clearly audible noises. The rodent beetle, also known as woodworm , can occasionally make strange knocking noises. The beetles wear a hard shield on their head, which they regularly use to hit the wood.
The human residents mostly interpreted this knocking as a bad omen. In particular, old and sick people are said to have been so frightened with this belief that they gave up hope of healing and died a little later. In Europe, the beetle therefore carries mostly negative connotations names like dead beetles , knock beetle , dead Hammer , Dengelmamm or death-watch beetle , France: Horloge de la Mort . But there are also more positive interpretations, as in the Inn valley . There it was said that knocking in the wood announced an imminent marriage. In Mecklenburg this sign was associated with the hope of rain.
literature
- Hans-Peter Sutter: Recognizing and combating wood pests on cultural assets. 4th edition. Verlag Paul Haupt, 2002, ISBN 3-258-06443-1 .
Web links
- www.holzfragen.de - Information on Xestobium rufovillosum
- parisek-saniert.de - Profile of the pied rodent beetle
- Xestobium (Xestobium) rufovillosum in Fauna Europaea
Individual evidence
- ↑ Handbook of Superstition. ISBN 3-85001-570-X , Volume 2, p. 390.