Which pest can potentially damage both hardwood and softwood products?

Wood borers are known to damage both hardwood and softwood products due to their ability to infest and feed on the wood material itself. As their larvae develop, they create tunnels and galleries within the wood, which can compromise structural integrity and lead to significant damage. This capability to attack various types of wood makes wood borers a notable threat in both residential and commercial settings.

While termites primarily target cellulose found in wood, they are not picky about the type of wood, affecting both hardwoods and softwoods. Carpenter ants, on the other hand, do not consume wood; rather, they excavate it to create nests, which also leads to significant damage but with a slightly different mechanism of impact. Powderpost beetles mainly infest hardwoods, and their larvae create small exit holes as they leave the wood upon maturation, showing a more restricted feeding preference than wood borers. Therefore, the broad applicability of wood borers to both hardwood and softwood confirms their significance as a damaging pest in this context.