Woodworm treatment Cornwall

How to find the right woodworm surveyor for your building

There are four incredibly important reasons to request a survey from an experienced timber and damp surveyor with a construction or heritage background such as ourselves, and they are:

1: A woodboring beetle infestation cannot colonise timber within a building without there being some form of building defect (you can read more about this below). If you treat an infestation without addressing the building defect there is a very high possibility that the defect will present at a later date in other forms of damp or decay. An experienced surveyor will be able to diagnose the cause of the woodworm outbreak and not just confirm its presence.

2: A damp and timber specialist will also be able to seek out and diagnose any other potential issues that often present alongside woodboring beetle outbreaks, such as wet rot and dry rot and will also be able to assess whether or not the structural integrity of the timber has been compromised in any way.

3: Unlike a car that has service history, buildings rarely come with any maintenance records. The outbreak may have been treated and is now considered to be historic, again, a good quality surveyor should be able to confirm this.

4: A reputable company will provide a 15 year guarantee that can be presented as proof of treatment should you wish to sell your home and there be any mention of potential woodworm in a Homebuyer Survey.

An incorrectly installed bathroom vent pushed steam into the loft space, causing a common furniture beetle outbreak.

The causes of high humidity and water ingress

Typically, our two most common forms of survey cover the areas that are most likely to suffer with high humidity and water ingress, and these are loft spaces and under suspended timber floors. It is impossible for woodboring beetles to thrive without either fluctuating or high moisture levels within timber, and this only occurs due to some form of building defect.

Typical building defects in loft spaces that cause high humidity or water ingress:
– a lack of eaves or ridge ventilation
– the historic installation of a non-vapour permeable roofing membrane (felt)
– broken ventilation ducting venting into loft space
– a lack of or ineffective ventilation within a property causing moisture to rise into the loft space
– broken slates/tile or roofing membrane
– defective chimney render/pointing, crown or lead flashing
– penetrative damp on gable end masonry wall caused by defective pointing or render

Typical building defects in floorspaces that cause high humidity or water ingress:
– missing or blocked subfloor ventilation / air bricks
– an escape of water – plumbing, heating or drainage
– high exterior ground levels / poor land drainage

A lack of ventilation coupled with a non-breathable bitumen felt caused this woodboring beetle infestation.

Our woodworm surveying process

It is incredibly important to define the difference between a woodworm survey and a quotation.

A woodworm survey should evidence the presence of an active wood boring beetle infestation and the underlying cause.

A quotation simple states the presence of ‘woodworm’ and provides a cost for the treatment.

Our woodworm surveys are based on analytical methodology. We not only identify the species of beetle, but also evidence the building defects that are the root cause of the outbreak. To do this we employ the following methods:

1: The use of a thermohygrometer to quantify relative humidity and vapour pressure (air quality)

2: The use of an resistance (pin type) moisture meter to quantify moisture levels within all timber joists, rafters, purlins and wall plates

3: The use of infrared thermal imaging to seek out any potential water ingress or escape of water

The collection and analysis of this data creates a moisture map of the affected area and evidences the requirement of any remedial works. Upon completing our survey and analysis, a brief report is emailed to you documenting our findings, suggesting remedial works and outlining their potential costs, and where possible, guidance on how to undertake these repairs yourself.

Light frass evidences an active common furniture beetle infestation.

How to treat woodworm infestations

Firstly, it is important to note that although some experts claim that woodboring beetles can be irradicated by reducing moisture levels within the wood to below 16%, in practice we survey multiple properties a week that present with infestations within timbers measuring 9-12%. As a company that believes in holistic treatments for damp and timber issues within all buildings, particularly heritage, this is the one exception that we make regarding the use of chemicals.

Typically we employ the use of permethrin, which is an insecticide in the pyrethroid family. Pyrethroids are synthetic chemicals that act like natural extracts from the chrysanthemum flower.

The specialist product we use is a residual insecticide, meaning that it remains effective for many years after its application. The major benefit of using such products is that they conform to the HSE statutory 1-hour re-entry time (or until surfaces are dry), which greatly reduces the risk to your family and pets. Every product we use is cleared under the Government’s Pesticide Safety Precaution scheme and under the Control of Pesticide Regulations 1986.

Woodboring beetle larvae structurally compromising this timber joist in Falmouth.

How much does a woodworm treatment cost in Cornwall?

There are multiple factors that can dictate the cost of a woodworm treatment and they are size of the affected area, severity of the infestation, type and amount of insulation and access.

Typical costs are: 
Small cottage loft space – spray only with insulation removed – £240+
3 bed semi-detached – spray only – insulation in place – £460+
Small cottage underfloor – spray only with floorboards removed – £240+
Additional fogging – £80+

A 15 year guarantee is issued with all woodboring beetle treatments

Substantial discounts can be applied for multiple combined treatments or if assistance can be provided to remove insulation, for example. We will always try to work with our clients to deliver cost effective services that deliver the best possible value.

A highly active woodworm outbreak near Gweek.

Wood-boring beetles – AKA woodworm

The term woodworm refers to various species of wood-boring insects.

Woodworm infestations usually occur when wood drilling species of beetles lay eggs in wooden cracks and crevices in a building’s structure or furniture. The newly hatched wood-eating larvae burrow deep in the wood, creating a maze of tunnels, which may seriously weaken and damage the timber in structures. Considering that the life cycle of the larvae may last up to 5 years without clear signs of its presence can make woodworm control and extermination quite challenging. Woodworm treatment is highly recommended for buildings with wooden beam structures, wooden floors and furniture.

Furniture Beetle
This common species of woodworm is often found in homes and buildings across Cornwall and feeds on both hardwoods and softwoods.

Deathwatch Beetle
The deathwatch beetle is best known for the ticking noise is makes when mating, which is where it gets the name. It has destroyed numerous building structures over the decades and can be very difficult to eradicate.

Longhorn Beetle
This beetle is a bigger problem in the South-West than the rest of the UK due to the increased rainfall and is mostly attracted to softwoods. Roof timbers are an ideal nesting ground for the longhorn beetle and in warm weather it flies, causing an infestation to spread to neighbouring properties.

Powderpost Beetle
A hardwood eater, this species, if left, it will completely destroy timber. If you find crumbled or broken timber, it may have been to the hands of the powderpost beetle.

Signs Of Active Woodworm
The first most obvious signs of a woodworm infestation would be any round holes (flight holes), up to 2 mm across, in wooden structures and bore dust around the holes. Very often the tunnels that the woodworm drill underneath the floor can cause the floorboards to creak and crumble.