Colorful nail beetle

Xestobium rutorillosum

Also known as the “multicolored beetle”. It is also popularly known as the death watch, because during the mating season the male beetle bangs its head on the wood to attract females. In old folklore, it was assumed that the inhabitant would soon die. The beetles grow to a length of 5 to 7 millimetres, making them the largest species native to Central Europe. Mostly lives together with destructive fungi in oak, more rarely in coniferous wood of correspondingly high humidity (e.g. if there is soil contact!). Screen-like perforations (up to 4 mm) with lamellar latewood remains. The damaging effect is similar to that of the common nail beetle. Irregular tunnels in the early wood, filled with solid, lenticular larval excrement mixed with nail meal.