Which pest is typically associated with damaging furniture?

The choice of beetles as the pest typically associated with damaging furniture is accurate because certain species of beetles, particularly wood-boring beetles, are known to infest wooden furniture. These pests can cause significant damage by boring holes into the wood as they feed on it. Common types include the common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum), which primarily targets furniture, joinery, and other wooden structures. As these beetles develop, their larvae create tunnels inside the wood, weakening the structure and potentially leading to severe damage over time.

In contrast, termites, while they also damage wood, primarily target structural wood and can cause vast amounts of destruction, they are more associated with buildings and other wooden materials rather than furniture specifically. Carpenter ants are known for their ability to excavate wood to create nests, but they do not consume wood like termites and wood-boring beetles do, which makes them less directly damaging in terms of furniture. Wasps, on the other hand, do not typically damage furniture at all; they are more known for building nests in eaves or other sheltered areas rather than affecting wood structures directly. Thus, beetles are specifically linked to the kind of damage characterized by furniture degradation.