Non Water Based Woodworm treatment?

[Icarus]

Hi,

I have a 300 year old farmhouse with stained oak beams. As is common they have a history of woodworm attack (it stood empty for a period I believe). Just recently we have a new outbreak. I got Rentakill in and they said it was common woodboring beetle and their product, being water based, would only be effective if the wood was stripped back. Owing to the gnarled and holey nature of the beams I can't see this being feasible so I have been sanding the few effected areas and treating them with a proprietary killer. I would like to treat all the beams though. Rentakill advised I might look for an oil based product but I haven't been able to find a suitable product. I would be grateful for any advice on how I might tackle the problem.

 

[jamest]

If your beams are oak and the beetle is common furniture beetle, then it is almost certain that the infestation is (in itself) of no structural significance and doesn't need treatment. In my experience and from what I've read, the larvae eat oak sapwood and leave the heart wood alone.

If you want to get rid of them, then the sure fire way to do it is to ensure that the wood is dry. The beetle larvae will only eat wood if it has a high enough moisture content - spreading poisons around at your own expense is unlikely to do anything much except reduce your bank balance and make your house more poisonous (to you, your pets and anything else that lives there).

Making sure the beams are dry is important in itself, because although common furniture beetle isn't structurally significant in oak, some forms of fungus and death watch beetle are. All these things require moist wood to do their damage, so the drier the wood is, the better. The presence of common furniture beetle is a warning that the wood is too moist.

 

[Icarus]

If your beams are oak and the beetle is common furniture beetle, then it is almost certain that the infestation is (in itself) of no structural significance and doesn't need treatment. In my experience and from what I've read, the larvae eat oak sapwood and leave the heart wood alone.

If you want to get rid of them, then the sure fire way to do it is to ensure that the wood is dry. The beetle larvae will only eat wood if it has a high enough moisture content - spreading poisons around at your own expense is unlikely to do anything much except reduce your bank balance and make your house more poisonous (to you, your pets and anything else that lives there).

Making sure the beams are dry is important in itself, because although common furniture beetle isn't structurally significant in oak, some forms of fungus and death watch beetle are. All these things require moist wood to do their damage, so the drier the wood is, the better. The presence of common furniture beetle is a warning that the wood is too moist.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Kearn]

In short, Rental kill should be allowed nowwhere near a timber framed building.

There’s tons of past thread in here to search through.

First, confirm they are active through noise / fresh frass / new exit holes.

If they are, then it’s because the timber is damp/wet. Solve that problem and the timber won’t be attractive to eat and the issue goes.

Dry timber = no beetle/worm. It’s also very essential for a warm and dry home and structural integrity.

You say your timbers are coated and you don’t want to strip them for treatment, it may well be that what they’re covered in is a large part of the high moisture issue.

 

[Icarus]

Thanks for your comments. I haven't seen any frass or noticed new holes. All I've seen is dead beetles on the window cill. Not a massive amount - about 10 in Apr/May. Sorry what did you mean by the " it may well be that what they’re covered in is a large part of the high moisture issue."?

 

[Matt Green]

Good grief... the company name is one word with a single 'o' and single 'l'.

What Kearn means is: that the timbers are covered with a coating that is preventing moisture evaporation from the wood, and stripping that off would improve evaporation, lower the timber moisture content, and reduce furniture beetle activity. Which is good advice.

I would like to treat all the beams though.

You don't need to do that at all. It's a waste of insecticide, and the beetles if they are there in any number at all, will be in the sections of timbers embedded in the walls, as in: the places you can't reach to treat. Six furniture beetles are nothing to be worried about.


M.

 

[Icarus]

Good grief... the company name is one word with a single 'o' and single 'l'.

What Kearn means is: that the timbers are covered with a coating that is preventing moisture evaporation from the wood, and stripping that off would improve evaporation, lower the timber moisture content, and reduce furniture beetle activity. Which is good advice.



You don't need to do that at all. It's a waste of insecticide, and the beetles if they are there in any number at all, will be in the sections of timbers embedded in the walls, as in: the places you can't reach to treat. Six furniture beetles are nothing to be worried about.


M.

Thanks

 

[Kearn]

Good grief... the company name is one word with a single 'o' and single 'l'.

ha! Late night typing and not checking if my autocorrect has done the opposite of what I typed originally!