Beetle Invades Newly Restored Lyzon Hat Shop In Hampton Bays

An invasive beetle has infested sections of the newly restored and historic Lyzon Hat Shop in Hampton Bays, leaving behind tiny and round holes in its refinished wood.

And, no, the culprit is not the dreaded Southern pine beetle that has devastated sections of Pine Barrens in recent years.

Rather, the powderpost beetle is to blame, according to Hampton Bays Historical Society President Brenda Sinclair Berntson. She says she first spotted telltale signs of the bugs—pinholes in wood as well as fine dust—in early September. More specifically, she said she detected the presence of the beetles around the baseboard of the building and along the top of its knee-high porch that is near its entrance.

She added that employees of Premier Pest Control in Southampton, who was hired by her organization to investigate the issue, did not confirm the source until they removed the baseboard from the wall last week. Her group signed a stewardship agreement with Southampton Town in August.

As a result, her group is now on the hook for the expense. Mr. Berntson said that the pest control company was going to fumigate the 1,700-square-foot building sometime this week; she also said it was not immediately clear how much the service would cost.

Premier Pest Control officials did not immediately return a call.

The beetles are similar to termites in that they can reduce wood to a fine dust or powder, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

According to Ms. Berntson, representatives of the exterminating company told her that the beetles were most likely present before the Historical Society signed the stewardship agreement in August.

But Robert Strada, the owner of Robert Strada Design in Amagansett, which was in charge of the building’s nearly $600,000 restoration, said that all wood was throughly checked prior to installation, adding that there were no signs of the beetles—which have long, oval bodies and can vary in color from red-brown to dark brown.

The Lyzon Hat Shop, made famous by hat designer Walter King and designated a landmark in 2012 by Southampton Town’s Landmark and Historic Districts Board, just finished a $594,360 restoration project in mid-October, according to Mary Wilson, the town’s Community Preservation Fund manager. The restoration, which began in 2007, included the installation of a new foundation and a modern bathroom, as well as the restoration of floors and windows. Much of the interior woodworking was also replaced, and the building received paint.

The good news, Ms. Berntson said, is that the beetles were discovered before they could do significant damage that would require the replacement of any wood.

“We’re lucky,” she said on Friday. “We caught it early.”