How To Get Rid of Woodworm

Finding the telltale signs of woodworm in your home can be worrying, as you may not know what to do next.

While woodworm that is brought into the home in second hand furniture and wooden items can sometimes be solved with simple DIY methods, in other cases woodworm can infest structural timbers and remain hidden for years and specialist help may be required. This is because woodworm infestations often take hold in out of sight places, such as in the loft or the sub floor void, meaning you may not know you have a problem until the resulting damage becomes visible, the floor sags or your foot goes through a floorboard.

The larvae create tunnels within the wood, removing the structural integrity of the timber, and can affect structural joists and beams, wooden furniture and even flooring and skirting boards.

Rentokil Property Care have put together a guide on how to get rid of woodworm, and when professional help might be required. We have been dealing with woodworm infestations in homes and businesses for decades, and have a number of CSRT and CSTDB qualified surveyors who are experts in identifying woodworm, and will provide you with detailed recommendations for treatments, if required.

We are Property Care Association Members and have a number of branches across the United Kingdom, meaning we have qualified and experienced surveyors and technicians local to you.

The first step in getting rid of a woodworm problem is to confirm whether or not it is active. This can be done by looking for fresh exit holes in timber, often accompanied by a fine powdery dust similar to sawdust, known as frass.

Timber may have crumbling edges, become weakened and in severe cases whole floorboards may collapse or become bouncy. This is because the larvae have tunneled within the timber while feeding on the cellulose, resulting in a loss of structural integrity.

Between April and September you may notice dead or even live beetles around your property, often on window sills or glass as they instinctively fly towards the sunlight.

Woodworm treatments are only required if the infestation is active, as often woodworm holes may be historic and no longer active, especially in older properties. Timber that has lost its structural integrity may also need to be replaced.

A trained and professional surveyor can help provide advice on whether or not a woodworm infestation is active, with their findings detailed in a survey report. This will also contain information regarding timber repairs, if required.

A woodworm infestation will rarely go away on its own, especially if the conditions are optimum. This makes it risky to leave an infestation without proper treatment, as over time it can spread and the extent of damage can increase. While the lifespan of an adult beetle is around 20-30 days, the larvae of woodworm can live inside timber for years and cause significant damage over time.

This means there may no longer be evidence of adult beetles, but the larvae will continue to consume timber from within. While generally the case for woodworm, Woodboring Weevil is a woodboring pest that will consume decayed and damp timber, and if the source of moisture is removed the Weevil infestation will die out.

A professional assessment is often required to assess the extent of the infestation, and to understand if there has been any structural damage to timbers throughout the property.

When getting rid of a woodworm problem, you have two options. You can either carry out DIY treatments or use a professional property preservation company experienced in woodworm treatments.

For DIY treatments it is essential to correctly diagnose the woodworm species affecting the timber in your property and the degree of damage to infested timbers. This is because the treatment process may vary depending on the species involved, and require elements of remedial damp proofing or improvements to ventilation.

For isolated woodworm infestations on newly purchased second hand furniture or wooden items brought into a property, DIY treatments may be a suitable solution. Make sure to investigate the item thoroughly and regularly inspect it to make sure no new emergence holes have appeared.

If you have a large woodworm infestation in a property and structural timber is affected, unless you have significant experience carrying out repairs, it is advisable to use a qualified professional. This is because DIY cannot guarantee complete removal of a woodworm problem and it could lead to further damage in the future, which could end up being more costly.

Professional treatments often come with a long term guarantee, giving you peace of mind the solution will work long term.

Professional treatments are recommended when an active woodworm infestation is identified inside a property. The first step is for a qualified professional to carry out an inspection of all timbers to understand the extent of the woodworm issue, the type of species involved and to confirm the treatment plan, including the use of insecticidal treatments and timber repairs.

A detailed inspection of a suspected woodworm infestation is crucial as different beetles may require different treatments, and the problem can often be hidden from sight. In some cases, our surveyor may need to lift floorboards or access roof voids to fully investigate the affected area. The surveyor will provide you with an easy to understand survey report, outlining the findings, and only if required, recommendations for treatments.

If an active infestation is confirmed, and you choose to go ahead with the recommendations in the survey report, our experienced technicians will then carry out specialist woodworm treatments. The scope of work will depend on the extent of the damage, as timber that is structurally damaged or weakened is removed and replaced. Our technicians will then apply specialist insecticidal products that eliminate woodworm on contact, or are ingested by the larvae. This breaks the life cycle and removes the infestation.

We have local technicians who are skilled in joinery and will carry out repairs to the highest industry standards. They will talk you through the process from start to finish, while ensuring that you face minimal disruption. Unless specified in the survey report, our woodworm treatments typically come with a 30-year guarantee, giving you peace of mind the problem is solved long term.

Yes, woodworm can be a serious problem over time, especially when the larvae tunnel inside timber and cause structural damage.

Woodworm can range from aesthetic damage which can be solved with DIY treatments, to larger structural issues to properties. It is especially damaging in older properties built with untreated timber frames. If left untreated it can lead to collapse of floorboards, joists and even roof timbers.

While infestations can be treated with professional woodworm sprays, it is far more common that woodworm spray is carried out together with minor timber repairs. Where required damaged sections can be removed and replaced.

You should not ignore a woodworm problem, as this could lead to the infestation growing larger, and spreading throughout your property. While the lifespan of the adult beetles is only a few weeks, the larvae of woodworm will tunnel through timber and feed on it for years - this can cause severe damage to the structural integrity and could even lead to collapse, which would mean costly repairs.

No, the first step is to find out if the infestation is active and then it is possible to carry out DIY woodworm treatments on furniture that has isolated or small patches of woodworm damage. If the damage is severe, sections may need to be replaced.

Use an insecticide to coat the affected area to manufacturers instructions, and then keep an eye on the piece of furniture and make a note of any fresh exit holes. You can isolate the furniture away from other wooden items or timber in the home to prevent the infestation from spreading.

Rentokil Property Care has been working in peoples homes and businesses for over 70 years, correctly identifying property issues and providing long term solutions.

We are experts in property preservation, and can provide you with personalised advice for damp and condensation problems affecting your property.

Whether its thermal improvements, or improving ventilation, Rentokil Property Care can provide you with advice and long term solutions.