Press/News

Now that the  warmer weather is upon us we have seen a rise in the number of calls from people asking for our advice with woodworm related problems in their property.  So, to help all those who think they have a woodworm problem here is a reminder about woodworm and some useful woodworm tips for you!

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.

At Timberwise our surveyors are used to dealing with properties of all shapes and sizes – from small domestic properties to large commercial premises – it isn’t every day though that you get asked to carry out a timber decay and woodworm survey on a grade 2 listed mill building.

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.

House Longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus)

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. 

The Truth about Woodworm from the woodworm experts – Timberwise

Debate has raged about the scale of the woodworm problem and whether central heating controls it for many years.

Now the matter can finally be settled by the publication of actual data collated by Paul Carter CTIS CRDS A. Inst. MBM of Premier Heritage, the historical and period property division of Timberwise.

Claims that woodworm is effectively no longer a problem and that central heating controls woodworm are now demolished. It is now clear that woodworm remains a widespread threat to the nation’s homes and architectural heritage. It is also clear that woodworm is not controlled by central heating – and there is even the prospect that central heating actually makes the problem worse.

To find out more about the study read on or visit our web pages dedicated to woodworm.

The Truth about Woodworm Study:

Media reports that the use of central heating creates conditions unsuitable for the survival of woodworm in housing appeared with increasing frequency in the early part of the decade. It was further suggested that as a consequence the incidence of woodworm activity in houses had become rare.
No data or other scientific works were advanced to support the postulations, which on the one hand gained apparent credibility by repetition but on the other were dismissed as being  counter-intuitive and unsupported by anecdotal evidence.
Investigations and data collations were conducted by Premier Heritage, the historical & period property division of Timberwise, with the purpose of 1, establishing whether or not data supported the hypotheses propounded in the media and 2, if they were, supported to investigate whether central heating could be employed as an active medium for the eradication  of woodworm infestations in houses.
The findings are contained below:

Methodology

‘Woodworm’ can mean any wood-boring beetle, but is generally used to refer to the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum).
Surveys of properties were conducted in 2001 and preliminary findings published. Further surveys were conducted in 2002, 2003, (resources were not available in 2004) and 2005.

The beetle activity was denoted by the presence of new emergence holes and insect frass.
In 2001, 2002 and 2003, each property was the subject of examination of roof and ground floor timbers. Not all ground floor timbers were available for monitoring. In 2005 only roof voids were investigated.

Where properties had central heating systems, they had been installed for over 20 years and the effects of such heating would have been well established. Surveys were carried out when heating systems would have been in full use.
Further data recorded included the relative humidity in the roof voids and moisture content of the timbers.