Woodworm can destroy your wooden furniture, doors, windows and can also cause structural damage to your home if they are left untreated. Often it is too late when their presence is detected and by that time lots of damage is already done.
If the presence of woodworms can be detected well in advance then you can take help from any pest control Bury like Pest Control Manchester to eradicate them. Therefore, it is very essential to know a few signs of their presence so that pest control treatment can be given during the early stages itself.
The following are a few signs that you must know so that the signs of their presence can be detected much earlier stage.
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Tunnels in the wood
You can see small round holes of about 1 to 2mm diameter that is due to boring out and emerging from the holes are the classic sign of an infestation of woodworm. They create a tunnel in the wood.
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Dusting very next to the holes
In addition to the above, you can also see an accumulation of dust powder just near the hole dug by these insects. This is a very clear sign of their active presence in your home.
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Live insects
Usually, live insects can only be seen during the summer months. The adults can most likely be seen between the month’s May and October. Rarely they can live more than a couple of weeks and quickly lay new eggs.
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Weak timber and floorboards
If you find that your chair legs or foot through floorboards are severely weakened then these insects are responsible. You need to be alert and call any pest control professional to inspect your home.
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Look at the edges
Often you may find the edges and surfaces of rafters and joists crumbling away. If this is noticed and is also revealing lighter wood underneath, it is a confirmed sign of the woodworm infestation.
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Tracks inside the wood
While the wood comes away sometimes you can see the paths are followed by the adult insects. Occasionally you can also see these beneath the surface of your wood, called ‘woodworm galleries’.
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Woodworm eggs
These eggs are very difficult to see with the naked eye. Often they are lemon-shaped and laid in the timber cracks or old boreholes by any adult females during the summer months, which may not be too far from the hole from where the adult had emerged.
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Woodworm grubs
It is difficult to see the grubs, because usually, they spend their lives inside the woods and then try to pupate into adult beetles before emerging, and then drilling out those round holes.
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Dead insects
Few wood-boring insects can also fly, and do so for finding new areas to breed for laying eggs. Usually, they emerge during the summer and may live only for few days to few weeks.
If you notice any of the above signs then it could mean that you have got a woodworm infestation and therefore you must do a thorough scrutiny of your home.
