Could the humble house spider  be the ultimate green way to reducing woodworm? According to a recent study at the University of Huddersfield the answer may be yes. The study conducted by Charles Hippisley-Cox puts forward the the suggestion that spiders speed up the decline of woodworm beetles and consume them prior to the completion of the woodworm lifecycle. It may well be that spiders provide those of us not keen on cleaning with the perfect reason for leaving those cobwebs in place!

 Woodworm treatment and advice

The best plan of attack when suspecting a woodworm outbreak in your property is still to seek the professional advice of a surveyor – leaving the treatment to spiders alone is no guarantee to curing the problem!

If you believe you have a woodworm problem check out our woodworm tips or request a woodworm survey on-line or by calling 0800 288 8660

The impressive grade 1 listed Fountains Hall belongs to the National Trust. The National Trust and our team of woodworm specialists from Timberwise Leeds had more than just common furniture beetle to consider in the roof area. The roof area of the hall also provided a home to Brown Long Eared bats and Pipistrelle bats - as bats are legally protected great care had to be taken when considering treating the timbers.

Working in conjunction with John Drewett Ecology Timberwise were able to determine the best time of year to carry out treatments to the timbers as well as making sure that there was as little disruption as possible to the winged residents!

The Law and Bats

All bats and their roosts are protected by law throughout the UK. In general it is an offence to:

- Deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat

- Deliberately disturb bats in a way that would significantly affect their local distribution or abundance, or affect their ability to survive, breed or rear young

- Damage or destroy a roost (this is an absolute offence – claiming that you didn’t know it was there is no defence)

Further information on what to do if you find bats roosting in your property can be found on the Bat Conservation Trust website. For further advice on woodworm check out our woodworm pages or give us a call on 0800 288 8660.

Woodworm advice

1. Know the type of woodworm infestation you have

Firstly, do you know what woodworm are? The term woodworm refers to the larvae of any type ofwood-boring beetle. Here in the UK, the most common forms of woodworm are the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum), Deathwatch Beetle (Xestobium rufuvillosum), House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus) and Powder Post Beetle (Lyctus brunneus).

It is always a good idea to get a woodworm specialist to identify the correct type of woodworm before you decide on any form woodworm treatment. Not all woodworm beetles or larvae are harmful and a qualified woodworm specialist would be able to advise you on the type of infestation and the best course of action to remedy the situation. Contact Timberwise for a woodworm survey on 0800 288 8660 or for some helpful woodworm advice from one of our specialist surveyors.

2. Is it a live woodworm infestation?

The holes that are commonly associated with a woodworm infestation are made by the adult woodworm beetles. The woodworm make the holes as they exit the wood . The woodworm flight season tends to be between May and September. One idea is to block the woodworm holes during the cooler winter months by painting with a simple coat of emulsion, or by applying masking tape. In the spring, you can then easily see if any woodworm beetles have emerged from the timber and therefore determine whether you have an active woodworm infestation or not. Alternativley seek the advice of a professional.

3. Have the humidity of the timbers checked

Have the humidity of the wood within your property professionally checked by a surveyor with a timber moisture meter. The surveyor will insert the probe into the timber and get an instant moisture content reading. For reference: a moisture content of around 20% would be a cause for concern as woodworm prefer timbers with a moisture content of over 18% however; woodworm can also tolerate moisture contents as low as 12% for short periods. At lower moisture levels, the rate of woodworm colonisation tends to be lower and infestation will die out with long periods of reduced moisture. You can assume that a reading of around 11% puts you at very low risk of a woodworm problem

4. Woodworm advice – helping to prevent woodworm infestations

To prevent further woodworm infestation, it is an idea to employ the following woodworm tips:

- Remove items of furniture or non-structural timber that are woodworm infested to avoid the woodworm spreading to other timber in the property.

- Keep humidity levels low and ensure areas with wood are well ventilated.

- Install electric fly traps in loft spaces and areas that are under-ventilated. This will help kill emerging adult woodworm beetles in the summer months, and thus reduce the threat of further infestation. Electric fly traps are available to buy on-line from the Timberwise Property Care Shop

Further woodworm advice from Timberwise

To find out more about woodworm, visit the following woodworm related web pages – Woodworm Treatment: watch our woodworm video and find out how Timberwise can eradicate your woodworm problem. Booking a woodworm survey is simple – either call your local office on 0800 288 8660 or complete the on-line woodworm survey request form.

The owners of this mill in the market town of  Ulverston on the Lake District Penisula contacted Timberwise to perform the timber survey on the original mill workings upon the recommendation of the local conservation officer. Our timber surveyor found evidence of a wide spread woodworm infestation by Common Furniture Beetle in the vast majority of the timbers forming the mill workings and floors. The moisture content of the timbers was in the region of between 25% and 30% – an ideal breeding ground for the promotion of the germination of spores of wood rotting fungi such as Dry Rot and Wet Rot.

Our timber surveyor followed the brief to prevent further degradation of the mill workings and floors whilst leaving them in their current state for future restoration.

The pictures below show the wheel that dates back to the 18th century along with the original cog wheels and some of the decayed timber housing.

Do you need a timber survey carrying out ?

If you do Timberwise would be delighted to help! Arranging a timber survey couldn’t be simpler – just call your local Timberwise office on 0800 288 8660 or complete our on-line survey request form.

What are Powder Post Beetles?

Powder Post Beetles (Lyctus brunneus) are woodworms that attack the sapwood of hardwoods such as Oak and Elm - the beetles do not infest varnished, painted or treated wood. The beetles are a very specialised creature and will only go for sapwood that has a starch content of greater than 3%. As wood ages the starch content lessens as a result of bacterial action and after approx. 10 years the levels will be so low that no infestation is possible. As the beetles are very specific (wide pored hardwoods with sufficient starch content) it is highly unlikely that normal domestic properties contain such timbers, except where they have been introduced, for example, in the form of a new hardwood floor. It is also very unlikely that the insect will have flown into the property. It is almost certain that the insect infestation occurred where the timber was originally stored – for example a timber yard.

What to do if you suspect you have Powder Post Beetle in a solid wood floor

• Firstly there needs to be correct identification of the infestation. Incorrect identification could result in unnecessary chemical treatments. Timberwise are experts in all forms of woodworm infestations and can help you. Call 0800 288 8660 or request a woodworm survey on-line.
• If the outbreak is confirmed as Powder Post Beetle it must be considered that the floor timbers were infested prior to been purchased and being laid.
• The contractor who laid the floor or the suppliers of the timber should be contacted as the floor should be considered as not of merchantable quality. It could be argued that exit holes also make the timber not fit for purpose as they ruin the aesthetics.

Powder Post emergence holes and frass

Powder Post beetle and emergence hole

Powder Post beetle damage

Although it is common to see  holes left behind by woodworm from previous infestations it is always worth seeking the opinion of a woodworm specialist to see if the infestation is current and needs treatment or not. In this case the surveyor also found some live woodworm indicating that the infestation was active.

The photo above shows one of the purlins in the roof where exit holes from the woodworm are clearly visible. We are now in the woodworm flight season (this runs roughly in the warmer months say May to September) and it is now that the woodworm are “coming out of the wood work” so to speak! For people who are interested in further information about woodworm we have a document written by our “Woodworm Expert” available for free as well as a woodworm video podcast looking in detail at the life cycle of woodworm.

What to do if you have a woodworm problem in your property

Timberwise have been treating woodworm problems for over 40 years and our highly skilled surveyors will be able to advise you on the nature of the woodworm infestation within the property. To arrange a woodworm survey call 0800 288 8660 or complete our woodworm survey request form.

Firstly, do you know what woodworm are? The term woodworm refers to the larvae of any wood-boring beetle, rather than one particular species. Here in the UK, the most common forms of woodworm are the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum), Deathwatch Beetle (Xestobium rufuvillosum), House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus) and Powderpost Beetle (Lyctus brunneus). All species of woodworm invade and consume wood, and then leave the timber when they have reached maturity.

Woodworm advice

Know the type of woodworm infestation you have

It is always a good idea to get a woodworm specialist to identify the type woodworm before you decide on any form treatment. Not all woodworm beetles or larvae are harmful and woodworm specialist would be able to advise you on the type of infestation and the best course of action to remedy the situation. Contact Timberwise for a woodworm survey on 0800 288 8660 or for some helpful woodworm advice from one of our specialist surveyors.

Is it a live woodworm infestation?

To holes that are commonly associated with a woodworm infestation are made by the adult woodworm beetles. The woodworm make the holes as they exit the wood . The woodworm flight season is between May and September. One idea is to block the woodworm holes during the winter months by painting with a simple coat of emulsion, or by applying masking tape. In the spring, you can then easily see if any woodworm beetles have emerged from the timber and therefore determine whether you have an active woodworm infestation or not.

Have the humidity of the timbers checked

Have the humidity of the wood within your property professionally checked by a surveyor with a timber moisture meter. The surveyor will insert the probe into the timber and get an instant moisture content reading. For reference: a moisture content of around 20% would be a cause for concern. Woodworm prefer timbers with a moisture content of over 18% however; woodworm can also tolerate moisture contents as low as 12% for short periods. At lower moisture levels, the rate of woodworm colonisation tends to be low and infestation will die out with prolonged periods of reduced moisture levels. You can assume that a reading of 11% puts you at very low risk of a woodworm problem

Woodworm advice – helping to prevent woodworm infestations

To prevent further woodworm infestation, it is an idea to employ the following woodworm tips:

- Remove items of furniture or non-structural timber that are woodworm infested to avoid the woodworm spreading to other timber in the property.

- Keep humidity levels low and ensure areas with wood are well ventilated.

- Install electric fly traps in loft spaces and areas that are under-ventilated. This will help kill emerging adult woodworm beetles in the summer months, and thus reduce the threat of further infestation.

Further woodworm advice from Timberwise

To find out more about woodworm, visit the following woodworm related web pages:

- What is woodworm?: General information about woodworm & woodworm beetles

- The Woodworm Lifecycle: from larvae to beetle – learn about the lifecycle of woodworm

- Woodworm Treatment: watch our woodworm video and find out how Timberwise can eradicate your woodworm problem

Contact Timberwise for further Woodworm Advice

If you would like to talk to someone regarding your woodworm problem, contact your local Timberwise office on on 0800 288 8660. Alternatively complete our woodworm survey request form.

Today’s photo looks at damage caused by one of the least common types of woodworm found in the UK  – House Longhorn beetle.

 House Longhorn beetle is seldom found outside of north west Surrey although it has been found to a much lesser extent in parts of London. Isolated outbreaks of House Longhorn have been found in other parts of the UK as a result of infested packing cases. Principally the House Longhorn beetle is is found in roof timbers where it can cause structural damage by feeding on the sapwood of softwood species of timber. To control the spread of the House Longhorn beetle  local Building Regulations require that new roof timbers are pre-treated with an appropriate preservative.

What does the House Longhorn beetle look like?

The larvae of the House Longhorn beetle usually mature in the spring months. The mature House Longhorn beetles eat their way out of the timber, in the process creating a hole  between 6-10 mm in diameter. These holes resemble the holes left by the most common form of woodworm, Common Furniture Beetle, with the exception that the holes are significantly larger. The head and body are covered with greyish coloured hairs and two shiney black spots that resemble eyes. To learn more about the life cycle of woodworm view check out of woodworm life cycle animation.

What should I do if I suspect I have a House Longhorn beetle infestation?

Timberwise are experts in treating woodworm of all kinds. With over 4 decades experience in treating woodworm you can be sure that Timberwise can treat your House Longhorn beetle problem quickly and effectivley. To arrange a woodworm survey couldn’t be easier simply call 0800 288 8660 or complete our on-line Woodworm Survey Request form.

Meet “The Expert”  – This man of mystery is an experienced consultant with a wealth of knowledge to share. In this article we look briefly at the different kinds of woodworm found in the UK and look at the different characteristics of them.

The term ‘woodworm’ is a generic term which covers attack by any wood boring insect.  In the UK there are a number of wood boring insects which can infect timbers in properties.  However, others which attack trees and logs in forests and woodlands cannot infest or survive in seasoned timber but in such cases the ‘pre-attacked’ timber can be incorporated into buildings where it will present no problem as the infestation is no longer present.

Set out below are some details of wood boring insects which are most commonly encountered attacking seasoned timber in buildings and which, depending on their state, may need treatment.

Common Furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum)

In appearance the Common Furniture Beetle is a small dark reddish brown beetle. Damage caused by the Common Furniture Beetle is by far the most common woodworm damage encountered. The beetles attacks sapwood of softwood and European hardwoods. The attack is most severe in damp and fast grown timbers.

The Common Furniture Beetle

  Deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum)

This beetle is a chocolate brown coloured insect  with a variegated appearance due to the presence of patches of yellowish hairs. You are very likely to find the beetles during the emergence period – mid-March to end of June. Attacked wood is virtually always hardwood with some degree of decay, often by the white rot, Donkioporia expansa. Wood is usually oak. However, Deathwatch beetle will attack softwood if well rotted and in contact with infested hardwood. Deathwatch beetle is not usually found in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Deathwatch Beetle

 Wood-boring Weevils (Euophryum confine and Pentarthrum huttoni)

The beetles are small and black in appearance. Wood-boring weevil damage is very common in damp skirting boards and embedded joist ends. Wood boring weevils are effectively a secondary pest in that the real problem is the dampness/decay.

Wood boring weevil

 Powder Post beetle (Lyctus brunneus)

A mid reddish brown beetle  the damage it makes looks similar to Common Furniture Beetle damage, the holes being of similar size.

Powder Post beetle

 House Longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus)

A large beetle black to dark brown in colour with long antennae. This insect is VERY localised to the south-east of England, centred around the Camberley area. House Longhorn beetle can cause severe structural damage.

House Longhorn Beetle

 As described above, some damage to wood may have been caused by ‘forest’ wood boring insects.  Even where timbers have been infected within a property some wood borers are regarded as innocuous and do not require treatment, and in some cases an infestation has simply died out.

At Timberwise all our surveyors are fully conversant with the wide range of wood boring insects found in the UK, and most important, whether the infestation needs treatment or not.  We are fully aware of limiting preservative treatments to only those situations which are necessary, thus we only carry out works where is essential thereby minimising costs and disruption to the client but still maintaining the integrity of the timber.

If you suspect you have a woodworm infestation don’t panic! Call 0800 288 8660 to speak to one of our woodworm experts or click to arrange a survey. 

Now that the warmer months are upon us we are beginning to see more cases of woodworm infestation in property. To help home owners have a better understanding about
woodworm and the life cycle of the woodworm we have produced a short video that shows clearly the life cycle of the woodworm.

Here is the life cycle explained in a little more detail: For the purpose of this illustration we have made the assumption that the beetle that lands on the timber is a pregnant female.

1. The female beetle starts the life cycle process by laying her eggs directly into the timber through cracks, crevices and existing flight holes. To protect the eggs they are not left on the surface of the timber.

2. After a few weeks the eggs hatch downwards into the timber and produce larvae  – this is the worm stage of the infestation. This worm, or larval stage, carries on for any where between 2 and 5 years. In that time the larvae  eats its way up and down the timbers and causes the structural damage to the timber. It is at this stage in the life cycle that the frass, or dust, that is associated with woodworm is produced.

3. Towards the end of its life cycle it forms a pupal chamber where it enlarges the tunnelling towards the surface of the timber and pupates from the larval stage into an adult beetle.

4. The adult beetle then eats its way through the last thin veneer of timber producing the round exit holes that you normally see. From here on in the beetle causes very little further damage to the timber.

5. It is the round exit holes that normally identify timber that has been subjected to beetle infestation. The females live for between 10 and 14 days where as their male counterparts only live between 3 and 4 days. Once the adult male beetles have emerged from the chamber there sole purpose is to mate with as many female partners in their short lifespan and the life cycle continues.

If you suspect you have a woodworm infestation don’t panic! Simply call our woodworm experts on 0800 99 11 00 or click to arrange a survey.