Woodworm treatment in Eindhoven: what is woodworm?
Woodworm is not a worm at all, but the larva of the common furniture beetle. The female lays her eggs in cracks in the wood, and the larvae then spend years tunnelling through it. Only when the beetle is fully grown does it chew its way out, usually in late spring or summer, and that is when the damage becomes visible. Tell-tale signs:
- small round exit holes, about the size of a pinhead
- fine, pale bore dust beneath the holes or on the floor
- wood that feels crumbly or soft at the surface
- small brown beetles on the windowsill in spring or summer
Active or long gone? That is the key question
Not every hole needs treating. Old exit holes are often dark inside, with no fresh dust nearby; the beetles left long ago. Sharp, pale edges and new bore dust, on the other hand, point to an infestation that is still going. Moisture matters too: dry timber in a heated living room suits the larvae far less than wood in a damp crawl space or a cold loft.
Besides common woodworm, there is the house longhorn beetle (huisboktor). It makes larger, oval exit holes and is mainly found in the softwood of roof timbers. With a longhorn, acting quickly matters more, because its large larvae can weaken the load-bearing strength of beams.
Our woodworm treatment: targeted, and only where needed
During the inspection we examine the holes and the dust, probe the wood where necessary to test its strength and establish which beetle is involved. If the infestation is active, we clean the timber and apply a professional wood treatment. On thicker beams we also inject the product into the exit holes so it penetrates deeper.
That way we can deal with woodworm without treating the rest of your house. To see everything else we do, take a look at our pest control in Eindhoven services.
What you can do yourself
Sweep away the old dust and lay a sheet of dark paper under the holes. If fresh, pale dust appears after a while, the woodworm is still active. Make sure the crawl space vents stay open and no water is left standing, as damp makes timber attractive to the larvae.
Do not paint or varnish over the holes: the larvae carry on underneath and you can no longer see the signs. While you are in the crawl space, also look out for gnaw marks and small droppings. Those point to mice, and you can read how we deal with them under mouse control.
Woodworm in old furniture and antiques
An inherited wardrobe, an oak table from a flea market or an old chair: furniture is a well-known source of woodworm. On any second-hand piece, always check the underside and back, where the wood is untreated. That is where the holes appear first.
If you see fresh dust, keep the piece away from other woodwork until it has been assessed. Furniture often calls for a different method than a floor structure, especially if it has a valuable finish. We discuss what suits it best and refer you to a restorer for repairs to antiques. That stops the problem spreading to floors or other furniture.
