Controlling Deathwatch Beetles - IELTS Reading Answers

'Controlling Deathwatch Beetles' is a passage that appeared in an IELTS Reading exam. Since questions get repeated in the IELTS exam, these passages are ideal for practice. To get the best results, learn how to tackle and answer the different question types. Practice with sample reading questions from past IELTS practice tests to make sure your reading skills are up to scratch. If you want more practice, try taking an IELTS reading practice test.

The Controlling Deathwatch Beetles is a part of an IELTS Academic Reading test. The question types found in this passage are:

• IELTS Reading Matching Sentence Endings (Q.1-4)
• IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given (Q. 5-9)
• IELTS Reading Multiple-Choice Questions (Q.10-13)

Reading Passage

Controlling Deathwatch Beetles

All of the organisms that damage timber in buildings are part of the natural process that takes deadwood to the forest floor, decomposes it into humus and recycles the nutrients released back into trees. Each stage in this process requires the correct environment and if we replicate this in our buildings then the organisms belonging to that part of the cycle will invade. A poorly maintained roof is, after all, just an extension of the forest floor to a fungus.

The first fact to remember about deathwatch beetles in your building is that they have probably been there for centuries and will continue long after you have gone. Beetle damage in oak timbers is a slow process and if we make it slower by good maintenance then the beetle population may eventually decline to extinction. The second fact is that natural predation will help you. Spiders are a significant predator and will help to keep the beetle population under control. They will speed up the decline of a beetle population in a well-maintained building.

The beetles fly to light and some form of the light trap may help to deplete a population. The place in which it is used must be dark so that there is no competing light source, and the air temperature must rise above about 17oC during the emergence season (April to June) so that the beetles will fly. Beetle holes do not disappear when the beetles have gone so it is sometimes necessary to confirm active infestation if remedial works are planned. This is generally easy with beetle damage in sapwood because the holes will look clean and have sharp edges, usually with bore dust trickling from them. Infestation deep within modified heartwood is more difficult to detect, particularly because the beetles will not necessarily bite their own emergence holes if plenty of other holes are available. This problem may be overcome by clogging the suspected holes with furniture polish or by covering a group of holes tightly with paper or card. Any emerging beetles will make a hole that should be visible so that the extent and magnitude of the problem can be assessed. Unnecessary pesticide treatments must be avoided.

Sometimes a building cannot be dried enough to eradicate the beetles or a localised population will have built up unnoticed. A few scattered beetles in a building need not cause much concern, but dozens of beetles below a beam-end might indicate the need for some form of treatment if the infested timber is accessible. Insecticides formulated as a paste can be effective – either applied to the surface or caulked into pre-drilled holes – but the formulations may only be obtainable by a remedial company.

Surface spray treatments are generally ineffective because they barely penetrate the surface of the timber and the beetles’ natural behaviour does not bring it into much contact with the insecticide. Contact insecticides might also kill natural predators.

Heat treatments for entire buildings are available and the continental experience is that they are effective. They are also likely to be expensive but they may be the only way to eradicate a heavy and widespread infestation without causing considerable structural degradation of the building.

Two other beetles are worth a mention.

The first is the House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus). This is a large insect that produces oval emergence holes that are packed with litter cylindrical pellets. The beetles restrict their activities to the sapwood of 20th-century softwood, although there is now some evidence that they will attack older softwood. The beetle larvae can cause considerable damage but infestation has generally been restricted to the southwest of London, possibly because they need a high temperature before the beetles will fly. Old damage is, however, frequently found elsewhere, thus indicating a wider distribution in the past, and infested timber is sometimes imported. This is an insect that might become more widespread because of climate change.

The second is the Lyctus or powderpost beetle. There are several species that are rather difficult to tell apart. These beetles live in the sapwood of oak. The beetles breed rapidly so that many cylindrical beetles may be present and the round emergence holes resemble those of the furniture beetle. This is and has always been, a pest of newly-installed oak. Timbers with an exploded sapwood surface are frequently found in old buildings and the damage will have occurred during the first few decades after the timbers were installed. Our main interest with these beetles is that they seem to have become more common of late. Beetle infestation within a few months of a new oak construction will be Lyctus beetles in the sapwood and not furniture beetles. The problem can be avoided by using oak with minimal sapwood content. The beetle infestation will cease after a few years but spray treatment may be necessary if an infestation is heavy.

Questions 1-4

1 One species of the beetle population may spread …………………………

2 You can detect the presence of beetles ………………………..

3 You may kill household spiders ………………………..

4 Beetles will disappear at a faster rate ……………………….

A if the building is kept in good condition.

B if you clog the suspected holes with furniture polish, paper or card.

C if the temperature rises to above about 17oC during the emergence season.

D if you use a contact insecticide.

E if it was installed a few decades earlier.

F if changes in weather patterns continue.

G if the use of surface treatments is avoided.

H if the wood has a low sapwood concentration.

Questions 5-9

5 Infestation by beetles deep within modified heartwood can be identified by the type of hole visible.

6 Clogging a hole with furniture polish or paper will trap the beetle inside permanently.

7 Paste insecticides are less effective than any other kind.

8 Surface spray treatments are sometimes effective for the House Longhorn Beetle.

9 Heat treatments tend to cause less damage than other treatments.

Questions 10-13

10 The point the writer makes about deathwatch beetles is that

A they must be eliminated quickly.

B only natural predation will keep them under control.

C with good maintenance it may be possible to eliminate them.

D they are here to stay and do great damage.

11 One way to trap deathwatch beetles is to attract them to

A daylight.

B a totally dark environment.

C a constantly warm environment.

D a light trap in a dark place.

12 Surface spray treatments are not effective because

A the beetles are immune to them.

B they do not reach the beetles.

C they react poorly to wooden surfaces.

D they attract other harmful creatures.

13 Damage by the House Longhorn Beetle is sometimes found further a field than London because

A temperatures have increased.

B the timber was not local timber.

C there was no effective treatment previously.

D the type of timber has changed.

Answers of Controlling Deathwatch Beetles Reading Answer with Explanations

Go through the answers and detailed explanations of each question in the Controlling Deathwatch Beetles passage and prepare to get a high IELTS band score.

1 Answer: F

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 7

Answer Explanation: Paragraph 7 states “This is an insect that might become more widespread because of climate change,” that is a species of beetle may become more widespread due to climate change. The keywords “one species of the beetle population” and “spread” can be easily found in this sentence, so we can infer that climate change is the condition that we are looking for. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is F.

2 Answer: B

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 3

Answer Explanation: In Paragraph 3, it is explained that identifying infestation deep within altered heartwood can be challenging, primarily because the beetles may not necessarily create exit holes if there are already numerous openings present. We can infer that the term “this problem” in the preceding sentence refers to the “infestation deep within modified heartwood.” Based on the provided information, it is evident that the correct answer is B.

3 Answer: D

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 2

Answer Explanation: In Paragraph 2, it is mentioned that spiders play a crucial role as predators, contributing to the regulation of the beetle population. The information in the second paragraph of this passage confirms that spiders are natural predators of beetles. Therefore, considering the statement “Contact insecticides might also kill the natural predators,” we can deduce that the most appropriate answer is D.

4 Answer: A

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 2
Answer Explanation: The last line of paragraph 2 states that contact insecticides will speed up the decline of the beetle population in a well-maintained building. For question 4, we must find the condition that will cause the beetles to disappear at a faster rate. The keywords “disappear” and “a faster rate” have the same meaning as “decline” and “speed up,” respectively,as used in the passage. Therefore, we can infer that the correct answer is A.

5 Answer: False

Question type: Matching heading

Answer Location: Paragraph 3

Answer Explanation: Paragraph 3 states that infestations deep within modified heartwood are more difficult to detect because the beetles may not bite their own emergence holes if other holes are available. This means that there may already be holes in modified heartwood, even if there is no infestation. Therefore, question 5, which states that it is impossible to detect infestations in modified heartwood, is false.

6 Answer: False

Question type: Matching heading

Answer Location: Paragraph 3

Answer Explanation: The last lines of paragraph 3 state that clogging the suspected holes with furniture polish or covering a group of holes tightly with paper or card can help to detect infestations deep within modified heartwood. This is because any emerging beetles will make a new hole that will be visible. This method is not meant to trap the beetles inside permanently, as mentioned in question 6. Therefore, the correct answer to question 6 is FALSE.

7 Answer: False

Question type: Matching heading

Answer Location: Paragraph 4

Answer Explanation: Paragraph 4 discloses that insecticides designed in paste form can be efficient, whether they are applied on surfaces or inserted into pre-drilled holes. The information from this sentence indicates that paste insecticides, or those in paste form, can effectively work when used on both surfaces and pre-drilled holes. Consequently, we cannot deduce that this approach is less effective than alternative methods. Therefore, the answer to this question is FALSE.

8 Answer: Not Given

Question type: Matching heading

Answer Location: Paragraph 7

Answer Explanation: In Paragraph 7, it is mentioned that the House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus) is a large insect that produces oval emergence holes that are packed with little cylindrical pellets. However, as per the question, there’s no information about the effectiveness of a particular treatment for the House Longhorn Beetle. Therefore, the answer is NOT GIVEN.

9 Answer: True

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 6

Answer Explanation: Paragraph 6 discusses tha tHeat treatments for entire buildings are available and the continental experience is that they are effective. They are also likely to be expensive but they may be the only way to eradicate a heavy and widespread infestation without causing considerable structural degradation of the building. We find clues about heat treatments in the 6th paragraph, and towards the end of this paragraph, the author confirms that these treatments might be the only viable option to eradicate a substantial and widespread infestation without causing substantial structural damage to the building. The phrase “without causing considerable structural degradation of the building,” which is synonymous with “cause less damage than other treatments” in the question, leads us to conclude that the provided statement is indeed TRUE.

10 Answer: C

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 2

Answer Explanation: Paragraph 2 states that beetle damage in oak timbers is a slow process, but that good maintenance can slow it down to the point where the beetle population eventually dies out. This means that good maintenance is a way to eliminate beetle damage in oak timbers. Since the phrases “make it slower” and “decline to extinction” have the same meaning as “eliminate,” and the key term “good maintenance” is highlighted, we can conclude that the correct answer is option C .

11 Answer: D

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph E

Answer Explanation: The 3rd paragraph suggests that using a light trap may assist in reducing the beetle population, but it should be used in a dark environment, where the author mentions, “The beetles fly to light, and some form of light trap may help to deplete a population.” This information leads us to consider that option D may be the answer. Furthermore, the subsequent statement in the same paragraph, “The place in which it is used must be dark,” reinforces that D is the correct answer.

12 Answer: B

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 5

Answer Explanation: The fifth paragraph discusses surface spray treatments, noting that they are typically inefficient because they have limited penetration into the timber, and the natural behavior of the beetles does not expose them to the insecticide. In accordance with this paragraph, these treatments are deemed “generally ineffective” due to their inability to penetrate the wood, while the beetles predominantly remain beneath the wood’s surface. Therefore, the correct answer is most likely B.

13 Answer: B

Question type: Matching features

Answer Location: Paragraph 7

Answer Explanation: In paragraph 7, it is mentioned that Old damage is, however, frequently found elsewhere, thus indicating a wider distribution in the past, and infested timber is sometimes imported. However, according to the question, why damage by the House Longhorn Beetle is sometimes found further afield than London. Here, the phrase “further afield than London” in the question means other places besides London. The phrase “frequently found elsewhere” in the paragraph has the same meaning. This tells us that the answer to the question will be related to the information in paragraph 7, which states that infested timber is sometimes imported. This means that the House Longhorn Beetle can be brought to new places in imported timber. This is why damage by the House Longhorn Beetle is sometimes found outside of London. Therefore, the answer to question 13 is B.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in the Controlling Deathwatch Beetles Reading Passage

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the Controlling Deathwatch Beetles Answers passage.

Matching Sentence Endings:

The Matching Sentence Endings question type in the IELTS Reading test requires you to match a list of incomplete sentences with the correct endings from a list of possible endings. The incomplete sentences are all based on information in the passage, but the endings may be paraphrased or expressed in different ways. Here are some IELTS exam preparation tips for answering Matching Sentence Endings questions:

• Answers are in the same order in the text as in the questions, so start with question 1 and work your way through.
• Try to guess how each sentence will end before looking at the endings.
• Start by reading the incomplete sentences, not the endings or the text. There are more endings than you need, so it’s a waste of time to look at all of them.
• Think about synonyms and paraphrases that the examiners might use instead of the exact words in the incomplete sentences.
• All of the sentence endings are in the text, but you only need to read the ones that you think match the incomplete sentences.
• When highlighting keywords, it’s helpful to highlight any names, places, or dates. These are often easy to find in the text.
• Don’t just match words. Make sure that the meaning of the sentence ending matches the meaning of the incomplete sentence.

True/False/Not Given:

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

• True statements are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
• False statements are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
• Not Given statements are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

Multiple-Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple-choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

• Before reading the passage, read the question and select the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the question statement is short on information.
• Then, using the keywords, read the passage to find the relevant information.
• To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant words and match them with each option.
• You will find several options with keywords, using the IELTS Reading keyword techniques, that do not correspond to the information.
• Try opting for the elimination method mostly.
• Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than just the keywords.

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