Woodworm - Advice Needed Please :(

Lizbetty

Hello everyone

For the past week I've been finding tiny beetles in my daughter's bedroom. To cut a long story short, they're from a wicker picnic basket I bought from a charity shop. It is definitely common furniture beetle. I burnt the basket yesterday when I realised. I had used a pest fogger last week, some were still alive on the ceiling after that though! 

I'm using a fogger again today to try and get rid of them but in all honesty, I'm freaking out about it. 

I keep thinking if one stray one lays eggs we're doomed.

Do you think we should call the experts in or am I panicking over nothing? Most of her furniture is IKEA softwood and she does have quite a bit of wicker. I'm just not sure how far to take this (bearing in mind I actually feel like moving house) as I know it could be a horrible problem if we don't nip it in the bud properly.

All advice would be welcomed! 

Many thanks,

Lucy

FreeBear

Lucyeff said: I keep thinking if one stray one lays eggs we're doomed.

Furniture beetles prefer damp timber to lay their eggs on. The grubs have a much easier time munching through the softer wood. One beetle is not going to see your house fall down or reduced to a pile of rubble. Leave the windows open, and the little blighter will make a bee line for a rotting wood pile outside.

I've found insect foggers as sold to the general public to be pretty ineffective. A liberal spray of a permethrin based insecticide helps to kill off most pests.

Rosa_Damascena

FreeBear said:

Lucyeff said: I keep thinking if one stray one lays eggs we're doomed.

Furniture beetles prefer damp timber to lay their eggs on. The grubs have a much easier time munching through the softer wood. One beetle is not going to see your house fall down or reduced to a pile of rubble. Leave the windows open, and the little blighter will make a bee line for a rotting wood pile outside.

I've found insect foggers as sold to the general public to be pretty ineffective. A liberal spray of a permethrin based insecticide helps to kill off most pests.

Available from all pharmacies (nit treatment).

Lizbetty

Thanks so much for the replies. Do you know I got rid of a load of old nit stuff the other week I found from when the kids were tiny, too! I'll give that a go. I do have some diatomaceous earth I could chuck behind her wardrobe.

I guess then as long as we monitor it, it should be ok? 

twopenny

As it's summer you could take the furniture outside and soak any bits not sealed by varnish or melamine with woodworm fluid and let it air but it's still going to smell.

Lavender works well against bugs. Wipe as above with lavender oil and inside drawers etc. Even put some lavender loose in the drawers. All done before buying stuff. I used it in the dogs beds as the traditional Pennyroyal annoyed them.

If you don't like lavender there's Wormwood but I don't like that. Still effective hence the name it got.

Cedar balls are available in shops, or wipe with Cedar or Sandlewood oils.

Not sure the diatomaceous earth would help. It's to break up the shells of bed bugs. I think woodworm lavae are soft. Besides they are unlikely to be in carpet.

Lizbetty

twopenny said:

As it's summer you could take the furniture outside and soak any bits not sealed by varnish or melamine with woodworm fluid and let it air but it's still going to smell.

Lavender works well against bugs. Wipe as above with lavender oil and inside drawers etc. Even put some lavender loose in the drawers. All done before buying stuff. I used it in the dogs beds as the traditional Pennyroyal annoyed them.

If you don't like lavender there's Wormwood but I don't like that. Still effective hence the name it got.

Cedar balls are available in shops, or wipe with Cedar or Sandlewood oils.

Not sure the diatomaceous earth would help. It's to break up the shells of bed bugs. I think woodworm lavae are soft. Besides they are unlikely to be in carpet.

Thanks for this. Luckily she loves lavender so we'll do that. 

The beetles are on top of and behind her wardrobe, the diatomaceous earth should kill any crawling ones in that area but yes the larvae was the long term concern. 

Luckily 🤞 we haven't seen any more beetles since I burnt the basket and used another pest bomb. We're keeping a close eye but hopefully leaving the window open and killing the ones we could see has worked. Time will tell I guess!

Thanks again everyone

Lucy