Woodworms.
They’re small, can live undetected in our homes, and cost property owners thousands of dollars in damage and repairs.
These wood-boring beetle larvae have an insatiable appetite for timber, and if there’s a woodworm infestation in your home, it’s not only your furniture you have to worry about. If a woodworm problem goes untreated, the larvae will weaken the structural integrity of your home and cause serious damage and hazards.
Because woodworms can be discrete, many homeowners don’t even realize they have an infestation before it’s too late. However, if you know the early signs of woodworm, you can prevent more damage from happening.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of seven telltale signs of a wormwood infestation. Keep reading to find out what they are and how to find a solution!
1. Exit Holes
Perhaps the most telling signs of a woodworm infestation are exit holes.
Check any source of wood that may be in your home. This includes furniture, decor pieces, and of course, your walls and floors. If you see small, rounded holes dotting the surface of wood material, then you’ve got a woodworm problem on your hands.
These holes indicate where the beetles have “exited” the wood after boring through it. They’ll be about 2mm wide and can either be spread out or close together.
2. Tunneling
Similar to exit holes, woodworms will also bore through pieces of timber to create tunnels in which they move about.
To identify tunneling, cut a suspected piece of wood and look on the inside of it. If woodworms have been there, you’ll see lots of small, rounded tunnels weaving through the wood. This indicates where the insects have been chomping and traveling through the timber to either lay eggs or emerge to breed.
3. Frass
Even if you don’t notice any holes or tunneling in the wood, your home could still very well be fostering a hoard of woodworms.
Frass, which is the insects’ waste, appears as a fine, powdery dust that ranges from being rust-colored to pure white. You’ll find it beneath wooden furniture, on the floor, or below any other wood materials you may have in your home.
4. Crumbling Wood
Are the corners and edges of your floorboards or furniture starting to crumble and chip away? Do the other wooden items in your home look worn down without explanation?
Worn, crumbling wood is often a telltale sign that you’ve got a woodworm issue. The weak edges are a result of a multitude of exit holes and tunnels that have been made in the piece of wood. As the infestation progresses and more woodworms occupy that piece of wood, the wood weakens until it begins to wear down and crumble upon being touched.
5. Weakened Structure
Although minute, woodworms have the capability to cause tremendous amounts of damage in terms of the structure and foundation of your home.
Weak or damaged floors or wood point to the presence of woodworms. A female beetle lays anywhere between 30 to 70 eggs at a time, so the longer an infestation is allowed to spread, the more woodworms that are hatched to wreak havoc.
If you allow woodworms to weaken the structural integrity of your home, you’re putting yourself and your family at risk. Read more about residential pest control here to learn about how you can defend your home and your loved ones.
6. Emerging Beetles
These wood-boring beetles emerge from timber from time to time to breed. If you’ve noticed several small beetles on or around the wood in your home, this is an obvious sign of a woodworm problem.
Here are a few of the most common woodworm beetles and how to identify them quickly:
- Common Furniture Beetle: dark red, verticle lines running down its wings
- Deathwatch Beetle: mottled brown with fuzzy, yellow hairs
- Woodboring Weevils: narrow, black, has a long “snout”
- Powder Post Beetle: red, flat, two antennas
If you spot one of these critters hanging around your wood or furniture, it’s time to call a pest control company that offers unmatched customer care.
7. Dead Beetles
Have you been noticing small, dead beetles near your wood or a place where you suspect there’s been a woodworm problem? If so, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have an infestation.
Dead beetles are one of the more obvious signs of woodworms. Their bodies will be found in, on, or below the wood that’s been infested. While the death of the beetles could mark a previous, now dormant infestation, it’s always a good idea to get an inspection from a trusted pest control company before you go about your business.
What to Do If You Suspect Woodworms
So, you’ve noticed one or more of these telltale signs of woodworm infestation. What now? First, take a deep breath; it’s not the end of the world! In most cases, you’ve probably caught on to the problem before any serious damage has been done.
Steer clear of any wood or furniture that you suspect to be infested. If possible, move the infested wood (furniture, decor pieces, picture frames, etc.) all into one room and close the door.
While there are ways to treat wood at home yourself, the best way to truly get rid of woodworms is to hire a professional. Call your local pest control service and explain the situation. With Pointe Pest Control, we’ll be able to come to your home and conduct an inspection free of charge!
If the pest control company verifies a woodworm infestation, they’ll be able to exterminate the beetles, larvae, and eggs altogether and you can rest assured knowing that your home is protected.
Protect Your Home From Woodworms
Keeping these wood-boring beetle larvae out of your home is an essential part of maintaining a structurally-sound, safe environment for your family. If you’ve noticed one or more of these woodworm signs in your own home, you might very well have an infestation.
Woodworm damage can be devastating, but luckily, it can be stopped just in time by a knowledgable and efficient pest control team. If you suspect woodworms, just give us a call or contact us here for a free inspection today!