Firstly, there is no such thing as a woodworm. Honestly. So what little pest has enjoyed snacking on my doorframes, you may ask? Well, it could be the larvae of any one of many wood-boring beetles found in homes, such as:

• The Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum)
• The Deathwatch Beetle (Xestobium rufuvillosum)
• The House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus) or
• The Powderpost Beetle (Lyctus brunneus)

Yes, of course I am being picky. The combined term for these beetle larvae is ‘woodworm’, but it’s handy to know that there are species within the group.

These tiny things really can make a big lot of damage. While they’re still a larvae, they’ll much through as much wood as a hungry caterpillar, before becoming an adult beetle…Irrespective of whether it is holding up your entire house or the leg of a priceless family heirloom. Luckily, this is a common problem in homes and you shouldn’t find it hard to find a professional who can help you or a DIY treatment for woodworm.

Misunderstanding number two (so much debate around such incy chaps), is that woodworm only lives in old properties. Wrong.Brand new houses are similarly at risk of woodworm infestation.

An idea to retain in mind as we start off. Evidence of woodworm doesn’t mean that you’re going to end up in a pile of dust. The signs that you are seeing could just indicate that there has been a woodworm infestation in the past, and has been dormant ever since.

So, it is best to monitor the signs. Obviously, the sight of adult beetles, scuttling their way around your house is going to be an alarm bell telling you that your problem is current. Similarly, if there’s an avalanche of frass ( that’s the dusty powder which comes from burrowing holes inside the furniture).If you notice an item of furniture showing signs of woodworm, remove it and keep it away from any other furniture that they could spread to.

If there are evident holes, you’ll want to keep an eye on them. Always do this before paying out a lot of money, only to find that there wasn’t an active problem anyway. A quick and easy way to monitor the activity of woodworm is to, in winter, paint affected wood (beams, floorboards, doorframes…etc) with a layer of emulsion paint. This will block up all of the holes and seal in any larvae. Check back a few months later, between May & September. If there are active beetles, new holes will have been formed when the adults came out of the wood to breed.

Another common sense tip – go on the offensive from the start, even if you don’t have woodworm. If you want to prevent a woodworm infestation in the first place follow these guidelines:

• Keep all wood well ventilated and humidity levels low.
• In the summer, install an electric fly traps in notorious woodworm-friendly areas to kill the emerging adult beetles before they have a chance to reproduce.

Lastly, if you are sure you have a current & unmanageable problem, you’ll need to invest in some timber treatment in order to erradicate the colony. There are a number of low and high-tech options for whatever application you need, but remember – if you feel out of your depth, it’s best to consult a professional.

Tags: timber treatment, treat woodworm, treatment for woodworm, wood worm, woodworm