Those small holes are not where the problem begins. They are the exits the insect made after living inside the wood for some time, and the ones still inside keep on eating.
Woodworm is a larva that lives inside the wood, so paint on the surface will never reach it. That is why woodworm treatment means injecting the product through the holes in the infested piece, then treating unpainted raw surfaces to prevent new eggs. If part of the wood is too weak to hold up, we will tell you plainly that it needs replacing.
Pinpoint openings on the surface of the wood. Old holes are dark inside, while new ones are pale and clean.
This is the most telling sign. If you wipe it away and it comes back, the woodworm is still active inside the piece.
As the infestation grows, the wood weakens and its edges crumble under your hand.
Knock on the piece and it sounds hollow, where healthy wood would sound solid.
A very small beetle that appears by the window or beside the infested piece. This is the one laying the eggs.
Both eat wood, but the treatment is completely different. Woodworm leaves round holes and fine powder, and it usually stays in the same piece or the one next to it. Termites build mud tubes on the wall and come from outside the piece. If you are not sure, take a photo of the piece and send it to us on WhatsApp.
The beetle lays its eggs in cracks in raw wood, and the larva bores inside and eats for a long time before it comes out. So you can buy a piece that looks fine and see holes appear months later. Damp encourages infestation too, so wood touching a seeping wall or sitting in a basement is more exposed.
Woodworm also spreads. An infested piece next to healthy ones can pass the infestation on, so the earlier you treat, the fewer pieces you end up replacing.
Send us a photo of the holes and powder, tell us how many pieces there are and what kind, and we give you the price by phone.
During the visit, the technician checks the piece itself and those around it, so we know how far the infestation has gone.
The product is injected into the holes to reach the larva inside the wood, where ordinary paint cannot go.
Wardrobe backs and the undersides of drawers are usually raw wood. We treat them so the beetle has nowhere to lay its eggs.
The product name and warranty are on the receipt, along with any part that needs carpentry and any damp that needs fixing.
Varnish or paint closes the holes from the outside, but the larva is still inside and makes new ones. Diesel and kerosene are a fire risk in the home, their smell lingers, and they do not get deep enough.
Until we arrive, wipe up the powder and mark the spot, so if new powder appears you know the infestation is active. Move the infested piece away from healthy wood if you can, and deal with any source of damp in the wall beside it.
The technician decides how long the room needs airing after injection, and it is written on the receipt. If the piece is in a bedroom or a child's room, that gets taken into account.
For furniture that touches food, such as tables, tell us from the start so we can treat the surfaces in a suitable way.
With woodworm treatment, the worry is promises nobody wrote down. This is the sheet the technician hands you.
An illustration of what gets written down at the visit.
Wipe away the powder and look again after a few days. If new powder has fallen or new holes have appeared, it is still active inside the wood.
Most pieces can be treated and stay in use. If the wood has become very weak or the piece carries weight, like a ceiling beam, we will tell you plainly that it needs replacing.
Yes, it can, especially to raw wood and pieces close by. That is the reason not to wait.
It only hides it. Varnish covers the holes while the larva stays inside, so treat the wood first and then paint it however you like.
Round holes and fine powder usually mean woodworm, while mud tubes on the wall mean termites. Send us a photo on WhatsApp and we will tell you.
Yes. The warranty is 5 years, and it is written on the receipt with its terms and the pieces treated. If an active infestation appears during that time, call us and we come back and treat again.
It depends on how many pieces there are and their size, and you get the price by phone once you tell us the details. It is written down before we start, and it does not go up after you agree.
One phone call, and we set a time with you.
