Beetles in the family Lyctidae are usually referred to as powderpost beetles, or "true powderpost beetles". They are found throughout the United States.

These beetles attack only the sapwood of hardwoods, such as cherry, oak, ash, walnut or hickory. They never infest softwoods like pine, fir or spruce. Lyctids prefer the seasoned sapwood portion of hardwoods and wood with a moisture content between 8% and 32%, with optimum range between 10% and 20%. They rarely attack wood that is 10 years or older.

Infestations are commonly found in hardwood floors, furniture, figurines, doors, door frames, picture frames and paneling. Infestations of lyctids can be recognized by the small, round holes which appear on the surface of the wood, as well as by the presence of fine powder (frass). The frass may fall from the emergence holes and accumulate in small piles. Lyctid frass is extremely fine, and does not feel gritty when rubbed between the fingers (unlike the frass of anobiids, which has a gritty texture).

Lyctid larvae utilize the starch, sugar and proteins in wood, they cannot digest the cellulose in the cell walls. Adult females will chew a small amount of the wood to determine its starch and moisture content, and do not lay eggs in wood that has a starch content less than 3%. The larval stage lasts from two to nine months, depending on environmental conditions and the wood infested. The pupal period lasts 12 days to three weeks; the adult beetle cuts its way to the surface, leaving a round emergence hole and a small amount of frass outside the hole. Adult beetles mate and begin egg laying soon after they emerge from the wood.

If conditions of growth are not favorable, the life cycle from egg to adult may take as long as 4 to 5 years to complete.