Wood worm infestation

kosgad

This thread is related to the woodworm infestation in the solid wooden floor!

The solid wooden floor was laid on a concrete surface with proper underlay (including moisture proof) around 10 months ago,bought from B&Q.Before that we had carpeted floor.
Few days ago i noticed small round holes in one of the solid wooden flooring board/piece underneath the dining table.There was very fine white powder around the holes.This particular piece of wooden plank is in the centre of living area well away from the sides and also windows.So there was no chance of any dampness/moisture.

I could see 25-30 small round regular holes with some dust like power around the holes and also many serpentine white lines on the surface.I also noticed a brown colour wood worm trying to come out the hole which i eventually extracted using forceps and put in a glass container.The adjacent wooden planks are free of infestation (atleast on the surface)

My questions are
1)is it an old infestation or new infestation which happened after it was laid down 10 months ago?(considering the fact that the larva/pupa can remain dormant in wood for 3-5 years)
2)if it was new infestation ,how come it has affected only one small piece in the middle of normal ones.
3)what are my rights here?i bought the wooden floor from B&Q with 10 yeasrs guarantee on them.When i enquired them ,i was told it was a new infestation and sent me off!.I spoke to few timber specialists who felt that it was a dormant infestation that has been reactivated this time.
4)If there is a delay in response from B&Q should i get pest control people to eradicate the infestation and later try and get the compensation from B&Q?

I would really value your suggestions and opinions.Should i file a formal complaint against B&Q or to some other body (Like ombudsman).Please help me to solve this issue.

Many thanks
Regards

DVardysShadow

I would agree, the infestation is likely to predate the installation by several years - indicating that the wood was both infested and not treated.

I think you need to make the complaint in writing to B&Q and suggest what remedy you require [replacement - repair - refund]. Understanding the lifecycle of woodworm is beyond expectation for the front desk in B&Q

whasup

The first thing you should do is get one of the larvae positively identified. There are different types of woodworm and they all have different habits. You can't start to tackle B&Q without knowing what you are dealing with. Go to somebody with qualifications. Local Zoo or museum might help. Otherwise you could try Graham Coleman. (google website)

Without knowing what it is I would say it is an almost dead certainty that this larvae was in the timber before you bought it. I am not aware of any cycle where eggs are laid and emerge within 10 months.

HomeTest

this is a quite common occurence, beetles such as the powder post beetle can emerge from infected timbers after they have benlaid, this normaly indciated infested timbers,you need to determine who the holes belwo to, IE common furniutre beelte,powder post beetle,bark borer, etc. have alook on the internet for powder post beetle first..once you know the beetle type you can then determin if its a new,old or forest insect or happened int he wood yard.

societys_child

kosgad

• Last Activity: 05-04-2012 12:25 PM

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