Woodworm Treatment Services in Hampshire and Dorset

If you have woodworm in your property or at your business then you have an issue that is not going to go away without expert assistance. Pest Professionals in Hampshire and Dorset can assist to present you with instant advice and help if you have woodworm problems in two extremely simple and effective stages:

The no obligation phone consultation service applies to both domestic and business customers in the Hampshire and Dorset region. No woodworm or timber job is too big or too small for us to look at. Where appropriate we are able to advise on any immediate steps called for to safeguard your health, property or belongings prior to a visit. If a visit is needed we let you know if there will be a call out fee and advise on the probable costs of any timber or woodworm treatment should it be required.

Treatment of Woodworm and Timber Pests

The extensive use of timber in modern structural applications (floor joists, roof purlins, floorboards, rafters etc.) has increased the risk that timber pests pose. If left without treatment, these insects will cause considerable damage, which can eventually bring about structural failure of the building.

Although the adults can fly, woodworm is typically brought into a home for the first time through the purchase of second hand furniture and can certainly also cause serious damage to costly wooden furniture, which may be antique.

Woodworm is in fact not a specific species of timber pest, but a generic term for the larval stage of a many wood damaging beetles.

The Furniture Beetle, a small brown insect which is about 3mm to 5mm in length and flies quite readily, is the commonest. The Furniture Beetle lays its eggs on rough, unpolished wood and as soon as they hatch the grubs bore straight into the wood – leaving no trace until they emerge as beetles three years or so later, normally between May and September. Longhorn, Powder Post, Wharf Borer and Death Watch Beetles, the latter of which only infests large, old, hardwood beams, all have a foothold in the U.K.

The initial indication of woodworm the majority of people see is neat, rounded holes around 2mm across in wooden surfaces, often accompanied by small piles of wood dust beneath them.

New holes show clean white wood inside. Although the holes are made by emerging adult beetles that are as a result no longer a direct threat to the structure, larvae may still be tunnelling away inside the wood. Crumbly edges to boards and to joists are also often a reliable indication of their presence and the necessity for woodworm control measures.

Woodworm Control

In cases where valued, rare and expensive pieces of wooden furniture, musical instruments, decorative or structural woodwork are impacted and need rescuing, a specialist woodworm treatment approach will certainly be required. Woodworm in furniture can be cured with the application of the correct type of proprietary woodworm killer, with fluid injected into key flight holes. Floorboards should be lifted to get at the undersurfaces and the joists.

If you have woodworm you will need to get rid of them. One of our experienced Pest Professionals will carry out an initial survey to determine the type of timber pest involved and the extent of the problem, before advising on the most suitable treatment. The good news is that on evaluation an appropriate treatment can eradicate woodworm entirely. In the event of a heavy or difficult to eradicate infestation, we can also advise on specialist heat treatment approach.

Varieties of Timber Pests in the UK

The Furniture Beetle

The most prevalent timber pest in the UK. Damages furniture, musical instruments, decorative woodwork etc. Larvae live for 3-5 years in the wood.

Beetle Larvae

Timber pest larvae bore deep into the wood and emerge from May to September. They can be burrowing in the wood for many years.

Death Watch Beetle

Dark reddish brown. Grubs prefer to eat older, hardwood structural timbers and can reside in them for ten years.

House Longhorn Beetle

Black/brown beetle not native to UK and primarily found in SE England. Infests seasoned and partially seasoned softwoods like pine.

Powder Post Beetle

Red/brown beetle that requires a diet of starch found in certain hardwoods. Can be a real problem in timber yards.

Wharf Borer Beetle

A brown beetle about 1cm long which lives in decayed wet timber. Adults commonly found near to waterways.

If you need sound advice or fast solutions to woodworm or timber pest problems anywhere in the towns and villages of Hampshire and Dorset – get in touch.