Cheap woodworm treatment

Emuchops

I bought a small second hand cupboard several years ago but on opening it today I noticed about 6 woodworm holes and the telltale dust indicating some type of woodworm.

I have checked thouroughly around the house and cannot find any other signs.

I looked in the local shop for woodworm treatment and the cheapest I could find was £10!!!

As I only need to treat a small area does anyone know any home made treatments? I'm thinking something like painting it with white spirit or something-at the very least it will make them very unhappy.

muckybutt

£10 is cheapenough, screwfix treatment costs £15 plus p+p.

If ya dont want to spend owt on it take it into the back garden and burn it....that'll get rid of em for good and all for the price of a box of matches :rotfl:

M.E.

The holes are where the "blighters" exit as beetles and thus to find suitable wood to lay eggs.
The damage to furniture or any timber is done by the larvae or "worm" burrowing through, making tunnels that weaken the furniture, particularly legs.
If the infestation is current then the "frass" or powder coming out of the hole is fresh looking and not dowdy. You can check this by vaccuuming the holes to rid the holes of any remaining dust/frass.
Then if there are fresh piles of "frass" you have active woodworm. That means that there are more of the blighters inside the furniture making burrows.

If there is no fresh "frass" then the beetles have left the furniture and the infestation is not active.

What I would do is:-
1. Vaccuum the holes.
2. Put the chest inside a large polybag/cover.
3. Leave an insecticide strip such as Vapona inside the bag for several weeks.
4. Vaccuum the holes again. Hopefully you won't have fresh "frass".
5. Polish every surface, undersides included, with a lavender polish. Woodworm beetles tend not to like lavender nor lay eggs on polished suraces. The blighters will exit through a polished surface but their mummy will have laid them as an egg in an unpolished crack or rough underside.
6. Use the furniture and polish once a year, undersides included.

Should the infestation be active I would still do the above, but probably use the vapona/insectide trick for several months. Any household insectide will do... even ant gel.. fly spray.. flea/fly powder.

Emuchops

Thanks ME-You sound like a real expert!

danielley

M.E. wrote: »

What I would do is:-
1. Vaccuum the holes.
2. Put the chest inside a large polybag/cover.
3. Leave an insecticide strip such as Vapona inside the bag for several weeks.
4. Vaccuum the holes again. Hopefully you won't have fresh "frass".
5. Polish every surface, undersides included, with a lavender polish. Woodworm beetles tend not to like lavender nor lay eggs on polished suraces. The blighters will exit through a polished surface but their mummy will have laid them as an egg in an unpolished crack or rough underside.
6. Use the furniture and polish once a year, undersides included.

Should the infestation be active I would still do the above, but probably use the vapona/insectide trick for several months. Any household insectide will do... even ant gel.. fly spray.. flea/fly powder.

Hello there, I too have spotted some woodworm holes in my precious walnut bureau that I bought from an antique dealer 12 months ago... I cant see any 'frass', so I am going to try out your advice above.

Could you recommend a particular type of lavender polish? Do you mean a spray one, or a wax one? (sorry if thats a stupid question)

Thanks

maninthestreet

use some paraffin - it suffocates the blighters!

David_Aldred

The lavender / polish may be a supportive measure but it is not a guaranteed method of controlling woodworm (common furniture beetle) which are quite a tough little insect. If you do not fancy using chemicals then if you know anyone with a cold storage facility, putting the furniture within it, if it will not be damaged by the drop in temp (suggested -20 deg C) for 72 hours should also kill any active infestation within furniture / picture frames etc as will raising temp of furniture to over 50 deg C for 24 hrs with the same precautions regarding checks prior to treatemt for any damage that may be caused by heating / freezing required Kindest regards David Aldred damp and timber surveyor.