The word woodworm is a term used to describe wood-boring insects such as the Death watch Beetle or the Common Furniture Beetle. These pests can quickly damage your property as they eat the wood in which they make their home.
Signs to look out for a woodworm infestation
Some of the signs of a woodworm infestation include:
- Round or oval tunnels that have been bored through wooden structures
- Dust from the tunnels made by adult wood worms and beetles
- Damaged flooring from repeated tunnels made by beetles and wood worms
- Dead beetles near wood or timber in your home
Typical woodworm behavior
Left untreated, you can quickly lose large portions of the wooden structures in your home as they become weak due to large amounts of holes. If your floorboards fail, you’re going to have quite a problem on your hands!
These holes are generally made as the beetles emerge from the wood, leaving a clean hole around 2mm in diameter. Immature grubs typically remain inside the timber, tunneling, until they are ready to come out. You can identify holes which are new by a white clean wood showing on the walls on the inside, and you may also find a small pile of wood dust alongside.
Sources of woodworm introduction
Second hand furniture can be a common source of the introduction of woodworm into your home, often through either wickerwork or tea chests. However, they are equally as likely to have arrived uninvited particularly if you have dead tree branches or timber near your home; the insect will simply fly through your window and find a room full of delicious timber treats waiting for them!
Target wood areas for woodworm
These beetles lay their eggs directly onto wood which is unpolished, leaving the grubs to bore straight down into the timber. They may remain there for up to three years, giving no sign of their presence until they are ready to mature.
As well as the flooring and wooden furniture, rafters and joists are also potential targets so it’s important to take the threat of woodworm very seriously if you want to avoid significant damage to your home.
The Pestserve approach to woodworm removal
Wood worms can be extremely tricky to eradicate, and we recommend that you enlist the services of a professional if you want to be certain that you have entirely solved the issue. We offer two types of treatment for woodworm infestations. Water-based treatments are a good option for those who are concerned about reducing exposure to chemicals. Fogging is a great treatment for floors. In this instance, we usually do not have to remove any furniture or carpeting. Please call us at 07886 249 030 for more information about the woodworm removal services that we provide.