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 aren’t actually worms, the correct term for woodworm is wood-boring beetle. The “worm” is actually the beetle’s babies, or larvae.
The woodworm’s life-cycle begins with an egg. Females will store these eggs in cracks and crevices within wood and timber or even pre-existing woodworm damage. When a female woodworm has found a suitable location she will look for the deepest and most protected areas in the wood to lay her eggs in order to ensure their safety. The mother will then go off and leave the eggs.
The eggs remain in the wood for around 2-3 weeks before hatching. The eggs hatch downwards giving the woodworm larvae easy access to burrow further into the wood or timber. Woodworm larvae are a yellowish-white colour with a dark face. The larvae stage will last for around 2-5 years – this is the stage where woodworm can do the most damage to buildings and furniture. However, it’s still a very difficult stage to detect them as they tend to stay within the wood rather then burrow to the surface.
When the woodworm larvae digs through the wood it produces a wooden dust-like product called “frass”. The presence of this dust around wood in your home can help you identify woodworm, the earlier you catch it the less damage they can cause.
After a few years have passed the woodworm larvae will make their way to the surface of the wood, at this point it is easier to identify woodworm as many little holes will start appearing in the surface of the timber as they mature. The woodworm larvae are moving towards the surface to create what is known as a pupal chamber. This allows the larvae to pupate and evolve, or grow, into a mature adult wood-boring beetle. When creating this chamber the larvae will slowly expand the tunnel around itself to allow room for growth.
Once they have grown into a mature wood-boring beetle they will exit the wood or timber. Wood-boring beetle are oval in shape and a golden brown in colour. A fully mature wood-boring beetle doesn’t live for very long, their sole purpose is to mate and lay more eggs, the average lifespan for a mature female is around 10 – 14 days, and for a male it’s just 3 – 4 days.
If you think you may have a woodworm infestation contact us before they cause even more damage. We are woodworm experts and can offer a discreet, same or next day service.
Woodworm Larvae
