Wood Boring Beetles.

The holes seen in timbers by the naked eye are the emergence holes of the wood-boring beetle. Most of it's life the insect lives as a larvae within the timber for between 1 & 5 years only coming to the surface to mate.

The majority of the insects dealt with within the remedial industry follow a similar life cycle.

Often the only way to differentiate between the beetles is the size and shape of their emergence holes, type of timber which has been attacked and the type and shape of bore dust left behind.

Some of the beetles found do not require any treatment as they will die out as and when the timbers dry out.

Below are a few example of the more common insects found eating their way through your homes.

  • Anobium punctatum. 
  • Aka Common furniture Beetle or better known as Woodworm
  • This is the most common of all of the  wood boring insect found in properties today
  • Mainly affects softwood and European hardwoods
  • Found most frequent in furniture and constructional timbers and areas of damp.
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  • Xestobium rufovillosum
  • Aka Deathwatch beetle.
  • Mainly found in sapwood and heartwood of partially decayed hardwoods (oak).
  • Dampness is essential to start infestation.
  • Damage is often extreme as larvae can hollow out large sections of timbers.
  • Found most frequently in older or historic buildings.
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  • Pentarthrum huttoni
  • Aka Wood boring weevils.
  • Mainly found in decaying softwoods and hardwoods in damp conditions.
  • Often found in conjunction with fungal decay in poorly ventilated areas
  • No insecticide treatments are necessary, remove source of dampness, rotten or severely infested timbers.
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Treatment of infested timbers.
The main aim of any treatment is to break the egg laying cycle of the wood boring beetle.
This can be undertaken by either removing or spraying infected timbers. 
Most treatments today are undertaken using a water based  permetherine insecticide spray, the timbers soak up the fluid which in turn eliminates the emerging beetles

Tie Right Ltd / Wall Tie Replacement / Wood Boring Beetles / Wet & Dry Rots/Wet & Dry Rots Treatments
Rising & Penetrating Damp/ More Damp, Condensation & Treatments/ Structural Timber Replacement/Response Page