What Is ‘Frass’?

Whats That Dust?
Whats That Dust?

Dictionary.com defines ‘frass’ as “the refuse and excrement of boring or leaf-eating insects.” More commonly, many home and organic gardeners refer to frass as “insect poop.” While the excrement of plant-eating insect larvae such as caterpillars is called frass and sold as a natural garden fertilizer; to New Jersey pest extermination professionals, frass is an indication of a serious insect infestation by wood-destroying insect pests.

How Is Frass Formed?

In the insect world, frass is a fine, powdery, sawdust-like by-product of the boring and tunneling activity of wood-destroying pests, including carpenter ants, carpenter bees, termites and powderpost beetles. Appropriately derived from German words meaning “to devour” and “insect damage,” frass is a mixture of wood particles, insect saliva and excrement left behind as certain insects or their larvae chew tunnels into raw wood. Frass from termite activity is less evident than that from the activity of other wood-destroying insects because the Eastern subterranean termites that infest Monmouth County homes and businesses pack their tunnels with mud to maintain the humid environment these insects require.

Sign of Infestation

Frass is a much more obvious sign of insect infestation where carpenter ants, powderpost beetles and carpenter bees are concerned because these insects bore hollow tunnels into wood. Infestations of these insects often produce piles of frass at insect entry points that help expert insect exterminators NJ locate and identify wood-destroying insect infestations. Like termites, powderpost beetle larvae actually ingest wood as they tunnel through it. Carpenter ants and carpenter bees, however, do not. These insects feed on the same materials as other ants and bees, tunneling into wood to lay their eggs or create large hollow galleries to house their nurseries.

If you find frass, call the pest extermination professionals at Allison Pest Control for a free pest inspection.