• Home
  • Main Website
  • Commercial Pest Control
  • Property Care
  • Pest Reviews
  • Contact Us
deBugged
  • Home
  • Main Website
  • Commercial Pest Control
  • Property Care
  • Pest Reviews
  • Contact Us
Home  /  Property Care • United Kingdom  /  Woodworm – ‘frass’-inating …
08 March 2016

Woodworm – ‘frass’-inating …

Written by Jackie
Avatar
Property Care, United Kingdom frass, wood boring beetle, woodworm Leave a Comment

A number of terms exist to describe waste material from creatures’ droppings, faeces or dung to the more colourful ‘cow pies’ or ‘road apples’ used to describe cattle and horse excrement respectively.

Frass however, is not an everyday term you tend to hear. Dictionary descriptions claim it’s derived from the German past tense of fressen, which means ‘to gobble or to feed as an animal might’. The English usage derives from the idea of excrement from food that larvae have eaten – debris or excrement produced by insects.

Anobium punctatum frass

This frass can be used to help identify woodworm pests even if the adult insects are no longer visible, as different species form different shaped droppings. The frass of wood-boring beetles is made up of fragments torn off but not consumed, and fragments that have passed through the insects gut! It resembles a fine, powdery dust and is usually found below the area of the infected wood. Frass falls out of old flight holes, when larvae bore through old larval tunnels, hence the build up of material below the infested timber. It is not generally a result of new adult beetles emerging.

What is a Woodworm?

Anobium punctatum FlightHolesWoodworm refers to the larvae of any wood-boring beetle, rather than just one particular species. In the UK, the most common woodworm larvae are from the Common Furniture Beetle, Deathwatch Beetle, House Longhorn Beetle and Powderpost Beetle.

Wooden items or structural timbers within a property can be infected with eggs or larvae of wood-boring beetles without it being noticeable. You may not discover a woodworm infestation for quite a while, as larvae continue to tunnel and feed in wood for several years. As the larvae mature and increase in size, they bore towards the wood surface to pupate and emerge as adult beetles.

There are some other tell-tale signs (apart from frass) that you can look for if you think there may be a woodworm problem in your property:

  • Frass (also known as bore dust) – usually visible below the infested timber.
  • Flight holes in timber – round or oval in shape with sharp edges.
  • Crumbling wood – around corners or edges to roof joists or floorboards.
  • Adult beetles – emerging from timbers usually between April and September or dead beetles found near the infected timber or on nearby window sills.

woodboring beetle emergingNot all of these signs of activity may be cause for concern. It’s possible that holes and frass might just indicate a previous woodworm infestation, long since dead. A good tip is to block any suspect holes during the winter by painting over them, applying masking tape or using wax to coat the holes and surrounding area. In the spring, you can check if any beetles have chewed through and emerged, indicating a live infestation.

To confirm whether you have a serious, current woodworm problem it’s important to consult a professional Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatment (CSRT) to identify the woodworm species and recommend the most suitable treatment.

 

 

Share On
Avatar
Jackie

I joined UK Marketing for Rentokil Pest Control in January 2009. What an enlightenment that has been - cheese mites, bed bugs and confused flour beetles, I never knew such things existed but I have certainly learnt how Rentokil expertise and experience eliminates them. Now my mission is to use the website to show the UK that whatever their pest problem, Rentokil have the solution. Life outside of work revolves around my husband and kids, so life is pretty hectic!

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Need some advice?

Talk to one of our experts:

For your Home

0808 231 5834

For your Business

0808 231 7897

Checking...

Ouch! There was a server error.
Retry »

Sending message...

Quick Form

Fill in the form below and we will be in touch soon


Find us on Facebook

Find us on Twitter

Find Us on LinkedIn

Rentokil Pest Control

Rentokil Pest Control is part of Rentokil Initial — one of the world's largest providers of business services. Formed over 80 years ago, the company has grown to become UK's longest-established, best known and most trusted pest control service provider.

Camberley. 3,500+ employees

Rentokil Pest Control

Categories

  • Pest Control
  • United Kingdom
  • Property Care
  • Rodents
  • Birds
  • Pestaurant
  • Flying Insects
  • Crawling Insects
  • Spiders
  • Other Wildlife

Subscribe to the debugged blog


Category Posts

  • Tips for Preventative Rodent Pest Control Mice, New Technology, Pest Control, Rats, Rodents, United Kingdom
  • Book your place on one of our FREE CPD seminars – Updated for October and November Countries
  • Black Mould in the Bathroom Property Care, United Kingdom
  • Condensation in Loft – Identify and Tackle Condensation in your Loft and Roof Space Property Care, United Kingdom

Latest Video

Recent Posts

  • Damp problems in the home
    Damp Problems in Houses November 19, 2020
  • Rentokil technician servicing RadarConnect
    Tips for Preventative Rodent Pest Control November 16, 2020
  • We are Hiring for Apprentice Technicians – Application Info Inside November 16, 2020
  • Property Care CPD seminars register free
    Book your place on one of our FREE CPD seminars – Updated for October and November July 7, 2020

© 2020 Rentokil Initial plc and subject to the conditions in the Legal Statement.

  • Latest News
  • Careers at Rentokil
  • Pestaurant
  • Noises in the Attic
  • Pest Control Customer Reviews
  • DIY Consumer Products
  • Manage Cookies
  • Company Information
  • Modern Slavery Statement
  • Legal Statement
  • RI Supplier Code
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • eBilling
myRentokil
myLearning
TRUSTPILOT