Every spring and summer adult beetles emerge from wood after laying many eggs within the tiny crevices in timber, these eggs soon hatch and young grubs burrow into the timber where they will stay for the next two to four years. Sounds like a horror story doesn’t it? No need to worry though as our team of experts are on hand to help you with your insect infestation, also known as wood worm.
Treating Wood Worm
Before purchasing timber products we highly recommend you check the product over for any signs of wood worm. After checking the wood you will want to properly treat the product to give it as much resilience to an insect infestation as possible using preservatives.
Our team of professionals will first clean the wood of all dust and other unwanted bits from the surfaces and use a water-based insecticide, allowing it to dry fully before an aesthetic coating of wax, paint or oil is applied. You can also use chemicals applied with the flogging method (or simply brushed on) although, this method is less cost effective.
However, if you have a piece of timber that is already infected and you don’t want to damage the item, our team of professionals can use one of the following methods to remove the wood worm without effecting the aesthetic of the timber:
- Gas fumigation
- Heat treatment
- Freezing treatment
Other Insects to lookout for
Aside from wood worm there are other forms of wood destroying insects to look out for:
- Death Watch Beetle (Xestobium Rufovillosum); this beetle goes after already affected wood and is often associated with historic buildings
- House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes Bajulus); a slightly larger insect that mainly sticks with sapwood and is predominantly associated with roofing timbers.
These beetles are localised more in the South East of England. The House Longhorn Beetle can cause structural weakening in the beams of properties in a relatively short period of time.
If you are concerned you have an insect infestation, such as wood worm, get in touch with the team at Dorset DPC on 01202 879139. We will be able to conduct an inspection of the timber in question and recommend the best course of action to treat your insect infestation.
