Woodworm, Dry/Wet Rot

Woodworm can cause severe damage to timber within a structure including in furniture, structural timbers and flooring. Beetles lay their eggs on the surface of the timber or in small crevices in the wood. The larvae then break through the base of the egg and bore their way into the timber causing the damage. An egg can take up to 10 years to become a fully grown larva (depending on the type of beetle) after which they turn into Pupa then emerge as a grown beetle.

In the UK we have three main wood boring insects, the Common Furniture Beetle, the Longhorn Beetle and the Death Watch Beetle. Without the correct diagnosis of the type of infestation, the woodworm treatment carried out may not be sufficient to treat / eradicate the infestation.

Common Furniture Beetle

The most common form of wood boring insect is the Common Furniture Beetle (woodworm). This can be identified by a number of 1 – 2mm holes on the surface of the timber which are the emergence holes. These exit holes mean there has been active woodworm in the past but does not necessarily mean there are currently woodworm active. With active woodworm you will find frass (small piles of dust) on either the timber or on the surface below the timber where the frass has fallen from the timber surface.

The Common Furniture Beetle prefers damp floor boards such as loft timbers and furniture where a varnished finish has either worn off or has not been applied. The risk of structural weakening of the timbers as a result of the woodworm infestation is low except here the timber has a high moisture content and a small profile.

Treatment for the Common Furniture Beetle is with a brush, dip or spray application of a woodworm treatment, normally Permethrin based, onto all of the timbers affected by the woodworm. It is highly recommended that the timbers in the immediate vicinity also have woodworm treatment applied as a precaution to prevent against future woodworm outbreaks.

Death Watch Beetle

The Death Watch Beetle attacks mainly hard woods – i.e. Elm, Oak etc. – where the timber has active decay / rot and thus Death Watch Beetle infestations may be more concentrated within the interior of large beams built into damp walls. As the infestation is deep within the timber the damage / infestation may be invisible apart from a few emergence holes.

As Death Watch Beetle infestations are so deep within a timber it is essential to treat by injection as well as a surface treatment. This can either be by injecting the woodworm treatment spray into the exit / flight holes as this naturally results in the woodworm treatment migrating into the most susceptible areas of the wood. Alternatively the timber must be drilled to provide access to the danger zone then injected with either a gel or paste woodworm treatment.

Timber is not only vulnerable to attack from insects but to damp and fungi from Dry Rot and Wet Rot and needs protection from all of these to extend its working life. We have a comprehensive range of high quality products to help protect timber both in the home and garden from these problems.