Woodworm Treatment Company
What you need to know about wood-boring insects
We cover most of the UK for woodworm surveys, reports and treatments
As a current homeowner, landlord or someone who is looking to buy a property, you may be currently experiencing issues with woodworm infestation. There is a lot of mis-information out there regarding woodworm and treating an infestation.
This page will tell you all you need to know about wood-boring beetles. We will also give you advice about diagnosis, surveys, reports and tell you how to get rid of the infestation. We will tell you how to spot the beetle and determine if the infestation is active or not. We will also help you understand the costs involved in woodworm treatment, and whether or not the infestation can be treated using DIY methods.
We are able to help you find out whether or not you have woodworm in your house and show you the damage it can cause if left untreated. The best possible way to get rid of woodworm is to have the entire property treated with an insecticide and this can be applied via high-pressure spray treatment. See below to find out how much it costs to treat woodworm.
Contact us now to get clear, helpful answers to these questions and arrange a specialist survey and correct diagnosis on any woodworm issues.
What is woodworm?
Woodworm is the name more commonly given to the larvae of wood-boring beetles. Wood-boring beetles tunnel through timber and lay their eggs in cracks and old flight holes, which hatch into larvae. Larvae will then eat their way through the timber, which weakens the structure of the timber. Multiple larvae moving through the same timber can cause a weak timber. The dust associated with woodworm, also known as frass, is created at this stage. This waste product left behind by the woodworm is a visual clue that you may have a woodworm infestation. Larvae can eat away at the timber for many years before returning to the surface as a mature adult beetle. The emerged adult beetle then looks for a mate for this cycle to begin again.
The most common woodworm beetles in the UK are Common Furniture Beetle, Powderpost Beetle, Death Watch Beetle and House Longhorn Beetle.
Where will I find woodworm? How does your home get infested?
You can find woodworm in any part of your home where there is timber present. The larvae of wood-boring beetles cause woodworm infestations. The most common cause of an infestation is damp timber, as softwood with a high moisture content can be burrowed into and eaten through easily by wood-boring beetles. Wood-boring beetles prefer cold, damp conditions because of this. Logically, the best way to avoid an active woodworm infestation is to keep your property warm, dry and well-ventilated. Different species of woodworm prefer different types of timber and moisture content. You can find beetles and exit holes in floorboards, floor joists, roof timbers and even wooden furniture.
When do wood-boring beetles emerge?
The adult beetle usually emerges from the infested timber from late Spring (May) to early Autumn (September).
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Confused about woodworm or the steps to take to get rid of woodworm?
Please don’t worry, pick up the phone today and talk to a member of our friendly team. They’ll be able to help you with any woodworm related problem you may have.
Did you know? Some species of wood boring insects (woodworm) don’t require treatment what so ever.
How can I tell if my infestation is active or not?
- Do you have fine sawdust on any timbers or the floor?
- Do you have small holes on any timbers?
- Is there sawdust caught in cobwebs near structural timbers?
- Do you have small holes on your floorboards?
- Have you noticed sawdust on stored items in your loft?
If you have any of the above we highly recommend instructing a woodworm surveyor to take a look. One of our woodworm surveyors can correctly diagnose your woodworm issue and tell you if it’s active or not.
Active woodworm infestation can sometimes be very difficult to determine. Seeing the exit holes made by wood-boring beetles does not necessarily mean that the woodworm infestation is active. If the hole-bearing wood is dry and the relative humidity is below 55%, then the woodworm infestation is likely to be long-dead.
Look for fresh woodworm frass and new adult beetles in the Spring near undisturbed timbers or wooden objects.
Old frass made by woodworm will often fall out of cracks and emergence holes when objects are moved or dry out. Old woodworm frass is not a sign of an active woodworm infestation.
What does woodworm look like? | How do you know if you have an infestation?
When active woodworm is left untreated this can leave timber damaged and extremely weakened.
It can be very difficult to spot the woodworm beetles and the woodworm larvae that drill the exit holes visible on timber, making it troublesome to determine whether or not you have a woodworm infestation.
Are you unsure as to whether you have an infestation of woodworm?
Although the woodworm beetles and larvae are difficult to spot, there are visible clues to help confirm whether timber is infested with woodworm. There are a few ways to spot a woodworm infestation, if you recognise any of these signs then it is possible that you may have woodworm.
Not all of these signs indicate that you have an active woodworm infestation so don’t be alarmed! Many of the clues may be historic and there is no longer an active infestation. To be certain, we recommend asking a specialist to examine the timbers in question.
Signs that you may have an infestation:
- Small, round holes in the wood. These are exit holes created by the wood-boring beetles.
- Dust around the exit holes. Fine powdery dust is left behind by the wood-boring beetles, also known as frass.
- Visible tunnels present within the timber. An evident sign of an infestation is the presence of small burrowing tunnels within the timber. These can be seen when the infested timber is cut.
- In some cases: you can see the beetles emerging from the exit holes, or dead beetles near to the affected timbers. This is a clear sign of a woodworm issue. Wood-boring beetles emerging from the exit holes indicate that it is an active woodworm infestation. Observing dead beetles close to the exit holes or near the timber suggest that the woodworm infestation may be active or may be historic (no longer active). Whichever the case, it would be wise to instruct a specialist to inspect the timber for a correct diagnosis on the woodworm issue.
- Damaged and/or weak joists, floorboards and timbers. If you are aware of any damaged or weak timbers in the property then it is likely that the timber is experiencing a form of decay. There is a chance that it may be wet rot or dry rot and not a woodworm infestation, but it would be worth looking for evidence of woodworm. If you are unsure, then instructing a qualified specialist surveyor to visit the property and correctly diagnose the issue would be highly recommended.
- The ends of joists and floorboards are brittle and crumble easily. The longer you have active woodworm and the longer the woodworm infestation is present, you may find that the ends of joists and floorboards begin to crumble.
If you are unsure whether you have a woodworm issue, active or historic woodworm infestation, then don’t hesitate to contact us and our team of qualified specialists can help and advise you on any form of woodworm infestation or other timber decay.
Call us today or fill in the contact form if you wish to organise a specialist timber survey.
How much does it cost to treat woodworm?
The cost of treating woodworm depends on the type of beetle present, the size of the area and the type of treatment required. To help put a figure on it, to treat an average size 3 bedroom property would cost around the £1000 mark. This is for a chemical spray treatment only. If timbers are damaged and structurally unsound, the costs could go into the thousands.
This is why you need to have the area checked as soon as you suspect any form of beetle infestation.
How can you treat woodworm?
To treat wood-boring insects, you first need to find out what kind of woodworm it is. Many species of wood-boring insects require no treatment what so ever. You can simply remove some timbers and isolate the source of moisture to get rid of woodworm. Other types of beetle need chemical treatment and in bad cases, a lot of timber may need replacing.
This is why the most important part of dealing with woodworm is getting the correct diagnosis by an expert.
If you have a woodworm issue and the infestation is still active, the primary way to treat the infestation is the use of a chemical insecticide to kill the beetles and burrowed larvae. After the infected timber is treated with insecticide, it can be treated to prevent re-infestation with a protective lacquer.
We are specialists in diagnosing and treating a wide-range of infestation issues. For more information and to book a survey with one of our highly-trained surveyors, call us today and speak with a member of our team. You can also get more information on any woodworm issues or woodworm infestations by sending us an email or filling in our contact form.
Common Types of Woodworm
Anobium Punctatum (common furniture beetle)
This type of woodworm attacks sapwood of softwoods and hardwoods. Infestations appear as round holes approximately 2mm in diameter.
Lyctus Brunneus (powder post beetle)
Superficially looks similar to Common furniture beetle, with holes approximately 2mm, but only attacks the sapwood of wide-pored hardwoods such as oak, elm and obeche. Normally only found in items of recently imported hardwoods.
Xestobium Rufovillosum (death watch beetle)
The damage looks like large furniture beetle, with holes around 3mm, often with extensive tunneling. Can create significant damage. Affected timbers are virtually always hardwoods, with some decay, commonly affecting oak. Deathwatch beetle will also attack softwoods if in contact with hardwood.
Hylotrupes Bajulus (house longhorn beetle)
Attacks the sapwood of softwood. Large (6-8mm) truly ‘oval’ holes, sometimes with ragged edges. Tunneling can cause extensive internal damage to timber and likely to require timber replacement. This type of infestation is limited to regional areas, predominantly in the South West of London and Surrey.
Bark Borer
The Adult bark borer beetle is about 3-6mm long. Red or chestnut brown with yellow silky hairs on its body. Female lays between 20 and 30 eggs in bark crevices which hatch into larvae in two to three weeks. Pupation follows in spring or early summer, lasting about one or two weeks. Adults emerge between May and August. They live in damaged confined softwoods, causing no structural damage.
Wood Boring Weevil
Wood-boring weevil is from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small and less than 6 mm long. Some other beetles, although not closely related, bear the name “weevil”, such as the biscuit weevil (Stegobium paniceum), which belongs to the family Anobiidae.
Signs of woodworm damage:
Woodworm emergence holes in wood: Old holes will look dark and dirty. New holes will look fresh and sharp.
Fresh holes will have piles of bore dust underneath called frass.
Materials damaged by beetles:
Woodworm will attack many hardwoods which have high levels of starch and sugar. Ash, beech, elm and oak sapwood are attacked but oak heartwood is not at risk of infestation.
Woodworm will readily attack old plywood with animal protein adhesive/glue.
How will Dampserve treat the woodworm in my property?
Before treating any timbers, it is necessary to establish the full extent of the woodworm infestation. By instructing a fully qualified surveyor to carry out a full survey on the property in question, they will be able to determine the extent of the infestation. The surveyor will closely inspect all of the timbers in the infested area, even the timbers that are not exposed.
Our highly specialised surveyors and technicians will conduct a thorough investigation of the property before recommending and carrying out any wood-boring beetle treatment. They will identify all of the affected areas, determine whether the infestation is still active, and identify the type of wood-boring beetle causing the infestation.
They will inspect the timbers and carry out a range of structural tests to identify the extent of the timber damage caused by woodworm infestation. They will look to see whether the infested timber needs simply treating, repairing or fully replacing. After testing, they will establish the most effective and appropriate treatment for the property in question. The treatment our technicians carry out is to a very high standard and we ensure that the property is always left safe, clean and tidy after our treatment is completed.