Woodboring beetles seem to be a never-ending issue for many people in the United States. They can damage wood in and around buildings and lay their eggs in the cracks. Their larvae, also known as woodworms, will eat their way through the wood to the outside over the course of several years. These tunnels can damage and disrupt the integrity of wooden structures, such as support beams, hardwood floors, furniture, outdoor decks, and more. If you are looking to identify and/or prevent woodboring beetles from your property here are a few solutions to help your situation.
INVESTIGATE
The first step is to identify if you do indeed have an infestation of wood-boring beetles or woodworms.
Do you see signs of wood powder?
- Finding signs of a white, non-clumpy powder near or around the wood that you suspect to be infested is an indicator that woodworms may still be in the wood.
- Finding a yellow, clumpy powder is an indicator of an older infestations. Typically you will find the clump powder near holes or emergence holes in the wood. This is where the woodworms bored through the wood and escaped.
If the beetles or worms have left entirely
- You can move on to Step 2 and Seal the wood with a sealant or completely replace the wood
If you have an active Infestation
- You can skip to Step 3 and treat the wood with a borate-based product to kill the woodworms and beetles. Then remove the infestation.
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REPLACE
If you have wood that has been previously infested by woodworms and beetles, that have since left the wood, you should replace the wood if possible. The tunnels created in the wood may have compromised the integrity of the wood and could create hazards in the future.
TREAT
If you have inspected your wood and discovered there may be an active infestation of woodworms and woodboring beetles, you will need to treat the wood. Unpainted or sealed wood is easy to to treat with a paintbrush. If the wood is painted or sealed, this layer will need to be removed for the treatment to be most effective. In some circumstances, you may find replacing the wood to be more cost effective than stripping paint and treating one or two wooden boards.
We hope these steps have greatly helped your Quest for Pest Control. If you find something even more effective, be sure to share with us and others what solutions help kill woodworms and woodboring beetles.
