Treating Woodworm: A Complete Guide

Woodworm is common but is also easy to treat. This video includes information and advice to identify and treat woodworm easily, quickly and affordably using Permagard’s Woodworm Killer.

Giving you the information you need to get the job done.

Permagard’s ready-to-use woodworm killer: https://www.permagard.co.uk/woodworm-...

A complete guide to treating woodworm: https://www.permagard.co.uk/advice/ho...

If you have any further questions, feel free to give our team a call on 0117 982 3282.


Transcript:

Hi everyone I’m Gregg and I’m a technical manager at Permagard. This video will give you some general information and knowledge around identifying woodworm and DIY woodworm treatments.


What is woodworm?

Woodworm is the common term used to refer to the larvae of all wood boring beetles. There are several species found in the UK, but most of the damage is caused by the offspring of the common furniture beetle. Adult wood boring beetles look different depending on their species, the common furniture beetle looks like it’s wearing a hood so it’s easily identifiable.

Causes of woodworm, they can potentially fly which means they can fly into your home and from previously-infested furniture. Woodworm generally prefer damp wood so if you don’t control the ventilation you could be at risk.


Spotting woodworm

Woodworm can be tricky to spot, especially active woodworm, as the main damage is caused inside the timber and you’re unlikely to see any visible results for years. When people hear the term ‘woodworm infestation’ it can scare people but actually it’s often more localised that that.

Small round holes in your woodwork is a telltale sign of woodworm. The most common sign of active woodworm is when frass on the floor, which is boredust from when the adult beetle emerges from the wood. If you see fresh frass on surfaces, that’s the biggest sign your woodworm are active.

Common furniture beetles like sapwood, whereas deathwatch beetles prefer decaying timber so places like churches and older properties. Always look in beams, joists and floorboards.


Woodworm damage

The problem with woodworm is the potential damage it can cause to a structure. Not only to the structural timbers but also your furniture. Deathwatch beetles, live in the wood for 10 years or more and can do some real damage, enough to replace structural timbers. Common furniture beetles cause less damage, it’s a 3-4 year cycle but if left untreated over time, woodworm can seriously weaken timber, causing severe damage within its structure.


Can woodworm spread?

Woodworm can spread when the adult beetle emerges from the wood and flies into other wood in the home. Bringing vintage furniture into the home is another way you can get woodworm. That’s why it’s important to treat woodworm and prevent it from coming back.


Treating woodworm

Woodworm is easily treatable and you can do it yourself using our ready-to-use woodworm treatment. Simply spray or brush apply to the surface and the non-toxic treatment will penetrate a few mm. When the beetle emerges, or when it burrows in, the treatment will kill it off. The best time to apply the woodworm killer is early spring and they tend to emerge from early spring to late summer.


How to use Permagard’s Woodworm Killer

This is a piece of timber that’s been affected by woodworm. We’re going to show you how to treat it and protect it from further attack using Permagard’s ready-to-use woodworm killer.

When applying the woodworm treatment, it’s really important that you wear the right PPE (personal protective equipment). A mask that has P3 protection, eye protection and gloves. Ensure you cover all exposed skin. If you do get any of the treatment on your clothes, wash them or throw them away.

Permagard’s woodworm treatment comes pre-diluted with water ready to use. You can either apply it with a brush or spray but spraying is the easiest, fastest way. All the products are available on the website.

Once you’ve poured the ready-to-use woodworm killer into the sprayer, simply apply to the surface following the guidelines on the container.


I hope you enjoyed the video and it answered some of your questions about woodworm. If you need any more information, visit our website and take a look at our how-to guides or give our team a call. Thanks for watching.