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What is woodworm?
There are various wood boring insects throughout the UK, however the most common is the common furniture beetle (Anobium puncatatum) hence the name. The life cycle of the woodworm starts with the female adult beetle laying approximately 80 eggs within the cracks, crevices and existing flight holes of previously emerged beetles. After only a few weeks the eggs hatch as small grubs (larvae) which are only around 2mm in size. The grubs will eat their way through the timber creating numerous tunnels which will weaken the structure over time, the bore dust (frass) is the waste product left behind during the feeding process.
The life cycle of the grubs is approx. 3-5 years, after this period the grubs will go through metamorphosis state forming into the adult beetles, these adult beetles cut through the final few millimetres of wood, leaving behind visible frass within the flight holes. The flight holes area approx. 1.5mm to 2.0mm in diameter with the beetles approx. 2.5mm to 4.0mm in length.
The emergence/flight season is usually between the months of March to September. The adult beetles will breed with a mate then the process will start all over again. The adult beetles actually only have a life expectancy of 1-3 weeks.
Treating woodworm
After identifying the species of woodworm and finding evidence confirming the woodworm infestation is active, we can then provide the correct treatments that would be required. This may be as follows:
- Low course pressure treat existing required timbers using water-based insecticidal permethrin-based fluids. (1 hour re-entry period after treatment is carried out).
- Apply gels or pastes often applied to inaccessible timbers (e.g. joist ends) with the ability of the compounds to diffuse into the inaccessible timber.
- Boron rods can be used to protect non-infested timber against new infestation.
- Replacement or repairs to the affected timbers that are found to be structurally unsound.
