Woodworm is a common problem. It can cause expensive damage to wooden floors, furniture and rafters.
Although there are several types of woodworm, they all prefer damp conditions, preferably with a moisture content of 18% or more. They can infest softwoods such as pine, but they are more likely to damage hardwoods such as oak and beech.
Preventative Measures
There are several preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of woodworm problems in your home or business. These include controlling the moisture levels in your timbers, removing affected timbers and using insect traps.
Controlling Humidity – All types of woodworm thrive on timbers with a high moisture content, so it’s vital to regularly monitor the humidity levels within your property. Keeping the humidity levels down will not only help to prevent infestations but it can also help to dry out existing ones.
Getting rid of excess moisture can be done at home, but if the problem is too serious it may require professional intervention. If your home is prone to dampness and there is an outbreak of woodworm, it’s worth investing in a timber moisture meter, which can measure the humidity level in your timbers.
Replacing Infested Timbers – It’s a good idea to replace any affected timbers as soon as you notice them. This will ensure that any existing infestation is dealt with before it has a chance to spread.
Applying Varnish to Wood – It’s also a good idea to protect your furniture with varnish as this will prevent the female beetles from laying their eggs. This is particularly important if your furniture is made from softwoods such as pine and spruce.
The use of protective varnish is especially important on timber that will come into contact with water, such as roof beams and wooden flooring. This will prevent the larvae from feeding on the timber, which can cause serious damage.
Detecting the presence of woodworm can be difficult, but there are some tell-tale signs to look out for. These include tiny holes that look like pinpricks on the surface of the wood, as well as small heaps of powdery sawdust.
If you suspect that your home or business is infested with woodworm, make an appointment for a site survey. This will allow you to identify the extent of the infestation and the best way to treat it. It will also enable you to remove any infected timbers and replace them with new timbers that are treated.
Detection
Identifying the presence of woodworms in your property is a crucial step when considering a treatment plan. Detecting them early on can save you a lot of time and money down the line, which is why it’s important to be aware of what signs to look out for.
One of the first signs that you’ll notice is when small exit holes start to appear on your wood surfaces. These are likely to be the results of hatched and immerging beetles coming to the surface to reproduce. These are usually around 3mm in diameter.
Another sign that you may have a woodworm infestation is when you see a fine dusty substance called frass around the exit holes. It looks a little like sawdust but is actually the droppings of woodworm larvae as they tunnel through the infected wood.
If you regularly see this dust, it can be a good indication that woodworm is active and requires professional attention. If you do not see this, however, it could mean that the infestation is still relatively dormant and only requires a precautionary treatment.
Other signs that you may see are tunnels, which are caused by the feeding of the woodworm larvae. They are discreet and typically run across the grain of the wood.
You can also look for a layer of sawdust in the corners and cracks of infected timber. Putting a sheet of paper on top of the infested timber will reveal if any new sawdust has been left behind.
In some cases, you can even spot the beetles themselves! These beetles tend to emerge from their timber chambers between April and September.
The beetles are extremely active during this period and will be scurrying about looking for sources of light. They will also be making their way to the surface to mate and lay eggs.
In order to get rid of them, you will need to treat the infected areas of your wood with a suitable woodworm treatment solution. This can be done by yourself if you suspect an infestation at a very localised level, or by contacting a specialist woodworm treatment expert if the damage is significant to your home’s structural timbers.
Treatment
When it comes to treating woodworm, there are a number of different methods. However, you should always use the most appropriate treatment for the type of infestation you are dealing with.
Often, the best way to treat a woodworm infestation is to remove the affected furniture and then apply an insecticide. This will kill the larvae and prevent future infestations.
If you want to avoid chemicals, you can try cleaning the area with vinegar. This is a good solution if you want to avoid killing the woodworms but aren’t keen on the smell of chemical sprays or the potential damage they may cause to the environment.
Another way to treat a woodworm infestation is by using pheromone lures. These are natural insecticides that attract the female woodworm and kill her before she can mate with other males, which results in more worms.
This treatment can be particularly effective for small and local woodworm infestations. But it is not a quick fix, and it can take up to two to three weeks for the woodworms to die off completely.
You should also test for any surviving worms before you treat them. For example, if they’re buried beneath a floorboard, you can plug the hole with beeswax or tissue paper and see if the adult woodworms bore their way out before you apply an insecticide. This can be helpful in areas where you cannot reach the worms, such as under floorboards and roof spaces.
But if you are not sure whether you have a woodworm infestation or not, it is better to get help from a professional. The experts will be able to tell you if your home needs to be treated or not, as well as assessing the amount of damage caused by woodworm.
The cost of woodworm treatment will depend on the size and severity of the infestation. It will also be dependent on the kind of timber you have in your home, as some types of timber are more susceptible to fungi and insects than others.
Getting a professional to carry out a woodworm survey is advisable, as they will know what kind of timber you have and where the best places for the worms to hide are. This will help you decide which method is the best for your particular situation and ensure that the problem is effectively dealt with.
Follow-Up
Once the woodworm treatment is completed, it is vital to keep an eye out for any evidence of the infestation, including exit holes and powdery sawdust-like frass. These signs can indicate that the woodworm infestation is still active and that further action may be required.
The first thing to do after a woodworm treatment is to check all furniture, including outdoor timber, for signs of infestation and decay. It is particularly important to inspect outdoor furniture as the wood will often absorb moisture from the ground. This can cause the timber to become soft and ideal for laying eggs.
A woodworm egg lays in pores, cracks and crevices in the wooden surface as it seeks to secure the best conditions for its growth. In each laying cycle, a female can lay between 20 and 50 eggs, depending on the environment.
Generally, these are laid in dead timber where bark has been removed and where suitable egg-laying sites are present such as previous emergence holes. They are not likely to be found on living or healthy timber, but can infest dead timber which has been subject to past damp problems and decay.
After a year, the larvae emerge as adult beetles, leaving a small hole in the wood, usually around 1-2mm across and accompanied by waste known as frass (the sawdust-like material that they chew on when leaving the exit). The beetles will mate soon after emergence, with males making loud noises in order to attract a mate.
As beetles chew their way out of the hole they leave behind, they will instinctively look for light sources and may move towards the windowsills. If you find any live beetles or a dead one, these should be treated and disposed of as they can spread to other parts of your home.
There are several types of beetle which can damage timber. The commonest are powderpost beetles, longhorn beetles and deathwatch beetles.
The powderpost beetle is a small, brown insect, which typically attacks rotting and weakened timber such as elm and oak. It leaves relatively small exit holes which are noticeable on closer inspection, as well as a rusty brown colouration that can be seen when the timber is re-sawn or planed.