WOODWORM TREATMENT IN ILKLEY
Timber Preservation Experts Ilkley
There are many different types of woodworm and they all cause damage to any timber they choose to live in. Woodworm larvae bore holes in the wood in search of food; cellulose.Once adults, they create tunnels through the wood to find an exit, leaving small identifiable holes in the wood. Over time, the many tunnels and chambers created by the woodworm larvae leave the wood weak and damaged.
WOODWORM TREATMENT IN Ilkley
The first step to treatment is to fully establish the extent of the infestation. Our surveyor will be able to identify this. Once the extent of the infestation is known an appropriate woodworm treatment can be recommended.
Danford Brewer & Ives will first determine the species of woodworm causing the damage as different circumstances need different treatments. Depending on what they find, Danford Brewer & Ives can treat the woodworm with either a chemical spray, injection or surface paste.
For infestations that are not severe, normally only the surfaces of the timbers need to be treated to kill any emerging woodworm beetles and prevent them from mating and laying more eggs. This will protect the timber from further infestation by wood boring insects.
How to identify woodworm
The beetles that cause woodworm, and their larvae, are difficult to see. Therefore, identifying an active woodworm infestation means looking for the right signs.
Tell tale signs to identify woodworm include:
- Small round holes in your woodwork, similar to the holes in a dart board.
- Fine, powdery dust around these holes (this is known as frass).
- Crumbly edges to boards and joists.
- Adult beetles emerging from the holes or present around the house.
- You may find frass at the back of or underneath furniture without seeing any visible holes.
- Weak and damaged floorboards may indicate presence of active woodworm infestation.
If you think you may have a woodworm infestation and would like to get it treated, please call Danford Brewer & Ives on 01943 488416 for a qualified survey.
OUR SPECIALIST WORKS PROCESS
CONTACT US
Complete the enquiry form below or call us directly to discuss your damp or timber problem. On this call, we will arrange to visit you and survey your property. There is a small fee for the site survey, which will be confirmed on the call. If you proceed with the full works, this fee is refundable against any further works carried out.
SITE SURVEY
One of our qualified team will visit your property at an agreed time and date. We will assess the problem and determine the best solution. Once we understand the root cause of the problem we can creat a suitable plan to fix it. Following the site survey we will provide you with a written report and quotation.
WE FIX IT
Once you are happy for the works to proceed we will then arrange a convenient time and date with you to carry out the specialist works as per the quotation. Most specialist works are usually completed within a couple of days and involve minimal disruption. Our team will keep you fully up to date on the works progress during this time.
AFTERCARE
In order for the guarantee to be activated all of the specialist works need to be signed off. A comprehensive checklist will be completed and signed off by both our team & yourself to make sure you are fully satisfied with the works. Following the sign off, where appropriate, the works can be fully guaranteed.
Different Types of Wood Boring Beetles
There are various types of wood-boring insects, attacking different forms of timber.
In the UK, the most common woodworm beetles are:
- Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium Punctatum) – attacks hardwoods, softwoods, plywood and wattle. It leaves round exit holes around 1.5 to 2mm in diameter.
- House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus) – attacks seasoned softwood. It leaves oval exit holes, 5mm to 9mm wide.
- Death Watch Beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) – attacks hardwood, usually oak, that has partly decayed. Leaves round exit holes, 3mm in diameter.
- Powder Post Beetle (Lyctus brunneus) – attacks hardwood, leaving around 1 to 3 mm diameter holes.
How to Tell if Woodworm is Active
Often the most obvious and visible signs of woodworm are the small, round holes the insects leave in timber and furniture. The woodworm will have already done some damage since, in larvae form, they will have been burrowing into and eating timber beneath the surface for between two and five years.
Along with the holes, look for frass; a cloud of fine, powdery dust that is left behind by the feeding larvae. This may have collected at the back of furniture, or underneath. Are there crumbling edges to timber boards or joists, or weakened woodwork or flooring? These can be signs that you have active woodworm.
Finally, if you spot adult woodworm beetles emerging from furniture, or elsewhere in your property, then you are likely to have an active woodworm infestation.
AREAS WE COVER:
We serve all areas of Ilkley
including...
- ADDINGHAM
- BURLEY IN WHARFEDALE
- SKIPTON
- OTLEY
- MIDDLETON
- GUISELEY
- DENTON
- WESTON
- BRADFORD
- BURLEY WOODHEAD
- MENSTON
- KEIGHLEY
FAQs
What is Woodworm Treatment?
Woodworm treatment is essentially a form of insecticide or chemical fumigation treatment designed to kill the larvae and beetles which eat wood. Where the damage is more limited, it may be a case of spraying affected areas with a Permethrin-based woodworm treatment. That prevents the adult Beetles emerging and mating, halting the woodworm lifecycle.
Where deeper, more serious woodworm infestation has occurred, treatment can require a range of chemical treatments and may involve cutting away parts of the affected timber and applying special gel or paste. You may also have to replace some structural timber, after the treatment, if the property’s structural integrity is at risk.
How Long Does Woodworm Treatment Last?
It is true that the longer you leave woodworm untreated, the worse it will become. However, once you do, it will protect your property in future. A woodworm survey shows the extent of the woodworm infestation and will determine the best course of action to rid the property of woodworm.
Woodworm treatments range from basic, spray-on methods designed to deal with surface damage to furniture and other timber, to penetrating use of insecticides and treatments for more extensive damage. They can be gels or pastes.
Most woodworm treatments are guaranteed to last between 25 and 30 years.
Dunbar Business Centre, Sheepscar Court, Northside Business Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS7 2BB