Probably can split this into two sentences: "Wood is difficult to digest, but as long as the wood has been softened by fungal decay, the enzymes in the guts of the larvae are able to digest the cellulose and hemicellulose forming the cell walls, and make use of the protein, starch and sugars found within the cells"
(In Greek mythology, Atropos and Clotho were two of the three moirai (Fates) associated with death.) odd to have a full sentence enclosed in parentheses with other parentheses within it.
Don't see anything wrong with it, but if you prefer, the outer parentheses can be removed and the preceding full stop replaced by a semi-colon.--Ehrenkater (talk) 16:52, 17 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
"However, infestation by these beetles is largely historic,..." makes it sound like they don't happen anymore. This could be rewritten to make it clear that older buildings are still vulnerable. Lincoln Cathedral had an infestation as recently as 2015
Thank you for taking on this review. I can find little information on the biology of the beetle but plenty on its cultural depiction. So information on its description, distribution, longevity etc is difficult to find. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:01, 15 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Seems like this beetle isn't covered all that well, but I think this article meets the GACR. Sorry for the delay in the review, I've been busy IRL. Enwebb (talk) 15:23, 28 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]
STUDIES OF THE BIOLOGY OF THE DEATH‐WATCH BEETLE, XESTOBIUM RUFOVILLOSUM DE G.: A SUMMARY OF PAST WORK AND A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES has more information about range as well as biology. "According to Picpj), ten species of Xestobium have been described and are confined for the most part to temperate countries. The distri- bution of X. rufovillosum is given as Europe, Corsica, Algeria and New Caledonia. It is strange that this island in the Pacific should be included in the range of distribution of a species not found in the tropics, and which, according to Tillyard(%) and Miller(23), does not occur in Australia, nor in New Zealand. It has also been recorded in the United States of America, but it is noteworthy as a pest of hardwood structural timbers only in North European countries"
[1]Handbook of urban insects and arachnids: A handbook of urban entomology Pg 79-80 of the PDF, pg 70-71 of the text. This source has tons of info about biology, range, and more, including this interesting bit worthy of inclusion: "Females emerge after the males and are immediately ready for copulation. Mating usually takes place in the afternoon and lasts about 1 h. Adult beetles do not feed and live about 10 weeks. Females begin laying eggs 5–11 days after mating"