Most people are aware of the damage and destruction woodworm can cause to buildings and furniture, but not many people know exactly what they are, how they live, and the different stages of their life-cycle.
Woodworm - Signs and Solutions
Wood is a fantastic material for building furniture, houses, outbuildings and many other things due to its strength and appearance. Unfortunately, it's also an ideal source of food and shelter to many little creatures including woodworm, who are prevalent this time of year. So what should you do if you think you may have an infestation?
Woodworm are actually the larvae form of many species of wood-boring beetle. Beetles look for warm and damp places to lay their eggs - cracks and crevices in timber are ideal. They bore small holes in the wood and lay their eggs -as soon as they hatch, the woodworm will begin to eat their way into the wood, making them difficult to stop at the start of their life.Living for up to 5 years as larvae, the woodworm will continue to eat through the wood together. This leads to the timber becoming weakened and can cause permanent and extensive damage to your property.
Given their small size, woodworm aren't always too easy to spot. The earlier we treat infested wood the better, so it's important you spot these signs as quickly as possible:
With the large amounts of wood that they digest, they do leave behind waste known as frass. This can look like really fine sawdust - it's very powdery.
When the adults lay the eggs, they leave small holes in wood known as exit holes. You can spot these tiny tunnels if you're lucky.
You may find the source of the eggs themselves. If you come across beetles in your home, they may have just laid their eggs.
Hopefully you identify them before any visible damage, but obviously if you're concerned about the integrity of your wood due to general weakness or you notice that it's crumbling around the edges then this could be a result of woodworm.
APC Management can successfully treat woodworm infestations with a low level residua spray. We can also offer a 15 year guarantee that a woodworm infestation will not return once treated. They're not easy to spot, so if you have any concerns about woodworm it's important you get this checked by our specialists. Contact us now to book a full property survey:
