Hi all, Any advice from those with knowledge or experience of woodworm would be great. I live in the South West & bought a house 3 years ago. It had/has active woodworm (Anobium Punctatum) in more external areas garage, loft etc - I've seen many bugs. I had it treated last year by a large firm with Boron. Since it was treated the bugs have continued to appear - making new holes and flying round. Some have died mid-emergence while punching out of joists, ingesting the boron but lots have survived - i've seen maybe 10-12 living ones just today in the garage and masking tape shows holes appearing there. Questions: 1. Is "Post treatment emergence" real, or can I assume my treatment has failed? Will it all be fine after a few years? 2. Can I slap some of my own off-the-shelf pemethrin mix on top of the Boron in certain areas, or would this make the Boron either inert or super toxic. Many thanks Mike
I would have thought, your first call ‘wood’ have been to the company, that gave you a guarantee on this Work, less than 12 months ago?
Hi both, Thanks for you replies. There is a long term guarantee but no firm will return until the life cycle of woodworm is complete circa 5-7 years. They claim post treatment emergence is normal but that the beetle's new eggs will not survive when laid on any treated wood so the colony will die out. Life cycle is 4-5 years hence the return date 5-7 years. I could just accept that and wait 5 years... but it had also been treated about 7 years before I moved in, and that previous treatment clearly failed hence my question about post treatment emergence. The previous guarantee was transferred to me and the firm quibbled - trying to shirk their responsibilities. I had no faith in their treatment or guarantee - got a new firm to start afresh without the bull.
Okay, if they are allowed to take 5 years to bugger off, then as larvae, they will have eaten their way through your woodwork. When they fly off, they are then beetles, and I don’t mean, John, Paul, Ringo & George! Just Googled it. Type of treatment program depends on the severity of the woodworm issue. However, a standard woodworm treatment typically involves a chemical insecticide spray that covers over all the accessible affected timbers. As the larvae turns into a beetle, it emerges from the timber. As it emerges, the chemical residue coat covering the timbers comes into contact with the beetle this may kill the emerging adult but more importantly prevents the new larvae hatching from eggs laid on the timber from achieving viability..
There are quite a few different views on post treatment emergence and whether it is the marker of a failed treatment or almost expected for a few years.