The United Kingdom is full of old buildings. Some of them even have historical significance. That’s why, Brits are experts at detecting wood-boring insects. Conversely, there’s one caveat. Not all wood-boring species can be treated effectively.
In any case, when homeowners notice signs of these insects, their initial thought is only one. How to get rid of them.. and fast! Sounds quite simple. However, different wood-boring species require different treatments.
That’s why people need to become familiar with the most common wood-boring insects first.
Read on!
The most common wood-boring insects in the UK
Wood-boring insects are also often referred to as “woodworms”, but there are many types of wood-boring bugs than just the woodworm, which is actually only the wood-eating larva of multiple such insect species.
Wood-boring weevil
The wood-boring weevil is probably among the top two most common wood-boring insects found across the UK.
Life cycles and preferred habitats
The wood-boring weevil is red and brown to black in colour, the adult specimens are around 2,5 to 5 millimetres long with a distinctive long snout.
Their main target is usually decaying and damp softwood and hardwood, which is also often infested with fungus, but they can damage plywood as well. Their activities are primarily focused on damp and partially rotten wood. The most common places they can be found include poorly ventilated areas, such as cellars and basements. Besides that, they can also be found behind mouldy skirting boards and wall plates if there’s fungal decay.
Signs of ambrosia beetle infestation
It’s usually very easy to recognise wood-boring weevils by the appearance of their tunnels, which normally appear along the grain of the wood and occasionally reach the wood surface. Their emergence holes are small and measure about 1 millimetre in size.
In cases of weevil damage, the primary concern is usually mould decay. These insects can be best treated by removing the source of moisture and drying the wood out because it’s impossible for a wood-boring weevil to infest dry wood that’s intact. Any decaying wood should be replaced. This is the most environmentally friendly way to deal with them, and generally, wood-boring weevils don’t require serious treatment methods.
Furniture beetles
The common furniture beetle mimics the appearance of a classic beetle in terms of size and shape and has a light and green-brown coloured body. However, despite the beetle’s small size, this insect species is capable of inflicting serious structural damage on a property.
Life cycles and preferred habitats
The furniture beetle is actually the most common wood-boring insect found in UK buildings, and it prefers dead branches and fallen trees. These insects like to feed on the sapwood of both hard and softwood, creating rounded tunnels in the direction of the wood grain. The furniture beetle can fly and, because of that, can easily locate new wood sources.
An adult beetle is around 2,5 to 5 millimetres in length and reddish to black-brown in colour. The surface of its upper body is covered with short yellow hairs, and there are clearly defined rows of small punctures on the wings.
At its larval stage, the furniture beetle bores into the wood and feeds on it. For 2 to 4 years, larvae burrow slowly under the surface of a piece of wood, during which the damage to the material usually happens.
Signs of furniture beetle infestation
The usual signs of an infestation caused by the common furniture beetle include their distinctive droppings and fine sawdust created when the adult bugs chew their way to the surface of the wood, leaving a round 1 to 2 millimetres of an exit hole. The dust is usually produced by the larvae of the furniture beetle, which eats the wood’s interior.
With this insect, taking preventative measures will be key, and the wood you use for your home should be treated before it’s used because these insects usually stay away from heartwood.
Deathwatch beetles
Because of its preference for partially decayed hardwood types, particularly oak, the deathwatch beetle is most commonly found in churches and other historical buildings rather than new residential homes.
Life cycles and preferred habitats
The Deathwatch beetle has a bee-like appearance, with a furry texture on their body and light brown colouring. This species loves to eat rotting hardwoods and can cause serious wood damage to anything made of this material on your property.
Usually, deathwatch beetles create white rot problems and form extensive tunnels throughout the wood in your property. Similar to the common furniture beetle, deathwatch beetles can fly to find rotting wood.
These wood-boring insects are 5 to 8 millimetres in length, dark brown and have short yellowish hairs that give them a striped appearance.
Signs of deathwatch beetle infestation
The signs of a deathwatch beetle infestation include rounded tunnels that are filled with dust, which is noticeable even to the naked eye. Female deathwatch beetles, in particular, create a distinguishing tapping sound during the night to attract male mates.
There are often small pellets in the dust produced by the larvae of the deathwatch beetle, which is distinctive to the type of damage caused by this insect in comparison to the one caused by other wood-boring insects. The holes they create are usually noticeably larger, around 3 millimetres in size.
Adult deathwatch beetles are usually found on wooden floors, which indicates an active infestation. If it’s possible, perform an inspection during their flight season, which is typically between April and June.
Keep in mind that a deathwatch beetle infestation can be particularly difficult to treat. During their hatching period, it’ll be most helpful to spray an insecticide to destroy their eggs and young larvae before they’ve had the chance to enter the wood.
However, it’s not entirely guaranteed that this type of treatment will kill older larvae, which are usually working at a more significant depth below the wood surface. Because of that, it’ll be best to keep defective or decaying wood out of your house. Freezing as a treatment method can also be helpful for smaller, infested items.
Treatment and preventative measures against wood-boring insects
If you notice any signs of an infestation caused by any of these wood-boring insects, you’ll need to consider treatment as soon as possible before these pests can cause extensive damage to your property.
First, determine whether the infestation is active or historic. Keep in mind that to validate any form of treatment, all the wood on your property will have to be investigated by a qualified pest control technician to determine if there are any signs of current infestation activity. There will also be the possibility that the wood-boring insects have already died, and pest treatment won’t be necessary in this situation.
Final Words
Wood-boring insects are often very difficult to control and will involve a lot of factors that you’ll need to consider. Accurate identification will be the most important step. Even though you can try to treat them yourself with residual insecticides, such as permethrin, professional fogging and fumigation will be the most effective.
Keep in mind that sometimes you’ll need to entirely replace infested wood. It’s always safest to seek the advice of an experienced treatment specialist instead of using DIY measures because an unaddressed infestation can lead to severe structural damage to your property and eventually even collapse.
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