Woodworm treatment in Almere: what woodworm actually is
Woodworm is not a worm but the larva of a beetle, usually the common furniture beetle. The larvae spend several years hidden inside the wood, eating their way through it in tunnels. You only see the damage when the adult beetle emerges. Look out for:
- round exit holes of one to two millimetres
- small heaps of pale, powdery bore dust (frass) beneath or beside the holes
- wood that feels crumbly or powdery at the surface
- small brown beetles near windows, especially in late spring and summer
Larger, oval holes in softwood roof timbers may point to the house longhorn beetle (huisboktor). It does more serious damage to structural timber and always calls for an expert assessment.
How woodworm gets into your home
Woodworm mainly spreads through timber brought in from elsewhere. An antique cabinet from an auction, an inherited chair, old scaffolding boards turned into a table or firewood in a basket indoors: any of it can contain larvae. In spring and summer, newly emerged beetles lay their eggs in cracks in other untreated wood nearby, preferring older and damper timber.
Not everything that looks like woodworm is woodworm. Ragged gnaw marks with wood chips in a cupboard or loft point to rodents instead; in that case, read about mouse control. And pale scratch marks on a fence or garden bench? Wasps scrape off wood fibres there to build their nest. If you find one, our page on wasp nest removal will help.
Active or old? How we tell
A hole does not automatically mean there are still larvae inside. Old holes are dark and dirty at the edges, whereas fresh ones are sharp and pale. Fresh, light-coloured bore dust that keeps reappearing is the clearest sign of activity.
During the inspection we examine the timber up close, tap and probe suspicious spots and measure how damp the wood is. We identify the beetle, how far the damage extends and whether other wood nearby is affected. That avoids unnecessary treatment, or too little of it.
Our woodworm treatment, matched to the situation
For a single piece of furniture we look at what suits it best: heat treatment, which reaches larvae throughout the piece, or a professional product that soaks into the wood. For floors, stairs and beams we apply a product onto and into the affected timber. This work is reserved for certified pest controllers, as it involves professional products.
Tackling the cause matters just as much, because woodworm thrives in damp wood. We therefore advise on ventilating the crawl space and loft. If a beam is badly affected, we recommend having a builder or structural engineer check whether it is still strong enough. How we deal with other pests is explained on our pest control in Almere page.
What you can do yourself, and what to leave
Move an affected piece of furniture away from other wood, and do not put it in the loft or shed, where the beetles can carry on undisturbed. Store firewood outside or under a shelter and only bring in what you will burn that day. To see whether there is still activity, lay a sheet of dark paper under the item: fresh bore dust will stand out at once.
Do not simply paint or varnish over the holes. The larvae sit deeper, and the next beetles will chew straight through the paint. DIY-store products are also unsuitable for load-bearing structures. If in doubt, have the problem assessed first.
