Check before you spray.
On the left is a baby woodworm, and these little grubs come in all different shapes and sizes depending on their wood boring parents. It is a myth that you need to spray any piece of timber with evidence of woodworm. Most of the time its hundreds of years old.
Most exit holes are made as the adult beetle chews its way out of the of timber and then flies away.
Woodworm can only survive if the conditions are damp and there is available sapwood to eat. Usually, their presence alerts you to a greater and more pressing issue of damp ingress.
Wood Boring Insects are forest dwelling creatures that survive on sapwood, which is the sugary new growth that grows on trees. The sapwood needs to have an elevated moisture content for them to dine. It is also the weaker, sacrificial part of the tree. The heartwood is where the strength is and that’s important to a property’s structural integrity.
If the sapwood is too dry, it’s like trying to eat a Weetabix with no milk! Bleh! Contrary to belief, these insects don’t just fly into homes like locusts and eat your property until it crashes down.
Monitoring saves a lot of money
The notable dust, or frass is a tell-tale sign of woodworm activity, and this is a good red flag to find.
It indicates that you must investigate the section of timber it emerged from and check the surrounding environment. The oak floor joist on the left shows signs of historical woodworm activity that has only affected the sapwood part of the timber.
As you can see, the sacrificial sapwood has been eaten whilst the heartwood section has been left. There was no need for spray treatments. The primary issue was improving the sub-floor ventilation and lowering the oversite which had built up over the years.
If woodworm activity is occurring in your building, then the damp conditions that are rising the moisture contents of the timber will be the first concern, the symptoms of woodworm are always secondary.
Without moisture, the woodworm will die naturally. You can eradicate woodworm activity by eliminating the root source of moisture and a strategically placed fan heater…no spray treatments necessary.
These guys on the right are our fourth generation Death Watch Beetles…yes, we breed Death Watch Beetle to understand what makes them tick.
To Quickly Round Things Up:
- Woodworm is a generic term for all wood boring insects larvae. They come in lots of shapes and sizes, and all have differing dietary requirements. To have any understanding on what is happening in your home, with any woodworm outbreak, you need to first identify the culprit insect and see how it can live. Water is essential.
- Find evidence! Look for little insects over the window cills, lamps and even cobwebs. The Daddy Long Legs, Pholcus Phalangioides, are but one of the Wood Borers predators. When you blanket spray chemicals in order to kill woodworm, you also kill all other living creatures, including the insects natural hunters, Spiders.
- A lot of the time the exit holes you see on sections of timber are from historic activity, sometimes this activity is hundreds of years old, and the last time it saw any woodworm activity was 400 years ago. So, what are you spraying for? And what are you paying for?
- The spraying of solid pieces of hardwood has very little effect on the grubs deep inside. The spray treatments are rarely reliable, penetrate the timber only a few millimetres and doesn’t address the question of how the woodworm are able to survive?
- It would be far easier and cheaper for you to just give us a call, we can arrange a visit, and undertake an actual woodworm inspection that will give you the truth about the situation and give you fewer, and less toxic solutions to help you understand the situation.
Here’s what some of our customers have to say…
k ellis2024-03-24Sussex Heritage Damp Restoration are fantastic to deal with from start to finish. Their knowledge and work is outstanding and I would not hesitate to recommend them.
A Taylor2024-03-24I'm so glad I stumbled across the SHDR website when looking for a solution to condensation problems. Aaron got straight in touch, and came around to assess the situation. Since then he and his team (thanks Matilda and the crew!) have sorted out the condensation issue with humidity-sensitive fans and a french drain. Grateful to them for their expertise and hard work. Can highly recommend.
Toby Herst and Amber Ashley2024-03-08Very prompt and efficient service. I met Max today who is professional and informative. We have had an ongoing issue in our flat in Brighton for sometime now, SHDR has identified the issue and offered solutions in record time! Thank you MAX!!
Madeleine Spencer2024-02-25After ages of battling mould and damp in our flat, Aaron came round and did a thorough inspection of the property. He was so knowledgeable and took the time to properly explain to us what the issue was, why it was happening and advise on how to fix it. He was so friendly and enthusiastic about how it could be solved, we were left feeling so positive, optimistic and aware about what was a very concerning issue for us. Aaron even gave us quick tips on little things we could do straight away to avoid making it worse until a proper solution could be sorted out. Thanks to Aaron we actually understand some of the problems and causes and things to look out for - to the point where I’m regurgitating it to friends to seem like an expert myself! We were so impressed with his service and would highly recommend him to anyone.
Michael Nussbaum2024-02-25I've been consulting with Aaron from SHDR on a first home with damp and mould issues and the experience has been over and above the standard. Not only personable - clearly caring about our livelihood - it has been very reassuring. Plenty of people (including some specialists) have given the impression that there is basically not much that can be done as old buildings have problems. Aaron has been able to give clear explanation of causes of issues along with quick-win suggestions and proper long-term solution recommendations which actually make a difference. The knowledge displayed is incredible - nobody has the same level of passion and expertise on the subject - and matched with a pragmatic approach to give us real options that will help us. On top of this Aaron is unbelievably nice! I have been raving about the service already because it's beyond what anyone would expect
Michael Edmonds2024-02-11Over the last year, Aaron has been exceptionally helpful and friendly in helping us understand our Victorian terrace house in Brighton. He explained the issues we were experiencing in a reassuring and accessible way, and has enabled us to address them in a way that is appropriate to the property. This has improved ventilation, brought relative humidity down to ideal levels and created better air quality. Aaron has given us a much better understanding of our home and continues to check in to make sure all is well. He and his team have been great to work with and we’d definitely recommend them.
Marti Reading2024-02-05Aaron took time to sort out our condensation problem and recommended we install a Nuaire Drimaster PIV System which is working exactly as it should. Our condensation has cleared up completely and no more damp patches or smells in the house. We cannot recommend this company highly enough. They go above and beyond for their customers.
Sophie Benton2024-01-31Aaron has been absolutely brilliant from start to finish. He found the cause of a damp issue I’ve had with my flat for years and has provided some really straightforward solutions.
Brian Fudge2024-01-31Aaron saved us from buying an overpriced money pit. But more importantly, he enabled our house sale to complete at the offer price when his report convinced the buyers’ bank to remove all concerns and lend on the full amount. For both properties (our home and the target purchase) Aaron quickly and comprehensively outlined all the issues. He reported the real state of the structures and straightforward uncomplicated solutions that were sympathetic to the listed heritage requirements and unbelievably affordable.
Christopher Swallow2024-01-20Aaron is the first person to give me real actionable, professional and unbiased advice on how to maintain and upgrade our period property. I now have the confidence to work with contractors in a more informed way. Aaron is always there to give advice and help. I will be using him again!!