Woodworm Treatment Services in The Northampton Area

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 Northampton can assist to present you with immediate guidance and help if you have woodworm issues in two very simple and effective stages:

The no obligation phone consultation service applies to both residential and business customers in the Northampton region. No woodworm or timber job is too large or too small for us to look into. Where appropriate we are able to offer guidance on any immediate action required to protect your well being, property or possessions prior to a visit. If a visit is called for 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 necessary.

Treatment of Woodworm and Timber Pests

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

Even though the adults can fly, woodworm is commonly brought into a home for the first time through the purchase of second hand furniture pieces and can of course 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 number of 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 once they hatch the grubs bore directly into the wood – disappearing 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 first indication of woodworm the majority of people see is neat, rounded holes about 2mm across in timber surfaces, often accompanied by tiny piles of wood dust underneath them.

Fresh holes show clean white wood within. Although the holes are made by emerging adult beetles that are therefore 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 indicator of their inhabitance and the need for woodworm control measures.

Woodworm Control

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

If you have woodworm you will want to get rid of them. One of our skilled Pest Professionals will perform an initial survey to establish the type of timber pest involved and the level of the problem, before advising on the most suitable treatment. The good news is that on evaluation a suitable treatment can eradicate woodworm entirely. In the event of a substantial or hard to eradicate infestation, we can also advise on specialist heat treatment approach.

Types of Timber Pests in the UK

The Furniture Beetle

Easily 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 like to eat older, hardwood structural timbers and can live in them for ten years.

House Longhorn Beetle

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

Powder Post Beetle

Red/brown beetle that needs a diet of starch present in particular hardwoods. Can be a real problem in timber yards.

Wharf Borer Beetle

A brown beetle about 1cm long which inhabits decayed wet timber. Adults commonly found close to waterways.

If you need sound advice or swift solutions to woodworm or timber pest problems anywhere in Northampton or the local towns and villages – speak to us.