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Woodworm Survey
What’s involved in a woodworm survey
Wood Borer Species
Wood damaging pests can attack expensive antiques and even a building’s structural components. Wood pests have managed to develop an astonishing variety of life forms, and can even live comfortably in totally dry wood.
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Common Furniture Beetle
(Anobium punctatum)
Much damage caused by wood boring beetles in softwood timber services can be attributed to the Common Furniture beetle. Its natural habitat is the broken branches of trees and areas where the tree bark has been removed.
Appearance
- Adult beetle is 3 – 4mm in length.
Lifecycle
- Larva will live for 3 - 5 years boring through timber before emerging to breed.
Habits
- They actively fly in warm sunny weather.
- Within homes and other buildings the furniture beetle is an exceedingly common pest.
- Despite its name this beetle can invade more than just furniture.
- Infestations can damage decorative woodwork, musical instruments, wooden tools and on a more serious scale wood flooring, joinery and structural timbers.
- These wood boring beetles consume hardwoods and softwoods.
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Powder Post Beetle
(Lyctus brunneus)
One species of Powder Post Beetle is commonly found in Barbados. This beetle infests hardwood timber in service such as Eucalyptus, Oak, Ash, Elm, Walnut, Sycamore, Sweet Chestnut and African Mahogany. It attacks these wide-pored hardwoods because the female beetle is able to fit her eggs into these pores.
Appearance
- Adult beetle 4 – 7mm in length.
- Red/brown in colour.
Lifecycle
- Adult beetles usually appear in the summer months, but in heated premises they can be found throughout the year.
- The larvae gradually reduce the infested timber, just leaving a thin veneer of wood on the surface.
Habits
- Emerging adults make pin-hole sized openings 1 to 2 mm in size, often called 'shot holes’.
- Whole lifecycle is completed in about one year.
- Primary pest of timber yards.
- Given enough time, wood will be reduced to a mass of fine powder that crumble to the touch, hence the name 'powder post'.
Wood Borer
Wood Borer problems? Find out how to get rid of them