Woodworm is a general term used to describe different types of beetles. It is a type of infestation that can destroy furniture and other products made of wood. Woodworm will not only destroy different types of soft woods, they can also damage different kinds of hard wood. Different types of woodworm occur in different countries / continents of the world.
Common Woodworm Around the World
l Anobium punctanum (Common Furniture Beetle)
l Hylotrupes bajulus (House Longhorn Beetle)
l Lyctus brunneous (Powderpost Beetle)
l Xestobium rufuvillosum (Deathwatch Beetle)
l Emobius mollus (Bark Borer)
l § Euophryum confine and Pentarthrum huttoni (Wood Boring Weevil)
Common Furniture Beetle
This is the most common wood boring insect found in New Zealand, Britain, Australia and other parts of the world. It attacks European softwood and hardwoods and structural timbers made from sapwood. You can identify this woodworm by the small, round holes left on the surface of the timber as well as the bore-dust left behind.
House Longhorn Beetle
House Longhorn woodworm beetle causes damage to softwood timbers in central and southern Europe. In the UK, considerable damage is done to roofing timbers in the South West area of London, where there are special Building Regulations to prevent further spread and protect structural timber. House Longhorn Beetle attacks sapwood of softwood. An audible scraping noise can be heard where the larvae of huge infestations are feeding on the wood on warm days.
Death Watch Beetle
Death Watch Beetle is found England but prefers warmer conditions so is not generally found in Scotland. This woodworm will attack partially decayed oak hardwood. You can find it in historic buildings where elm beams or large quantities of oak have been used structurally. You can also find this type of woodworm in areas prone to damp such as lintels, floor joist ends, wall plates and other built-in timbers.
Wood-Boring Weevil
Wood-boring weevils will only cause damage to decayed and damp timber. It is slim in appearance with long snout. Holes appear ragged and are usually about 1 mm in diameter. The Wood-Boring Weevil doesn’t have fixed time period when it emerges.
Bark Borer Woodworm
Bark Borer woodworm – aka the Waney Edge Borer – confines its activities to the immediate vicinity of its birth (sapwood) and dies very soon after birth, as there are not enough nutrients in the cambium and bark of the sapwood for it to survive very long. It is found in buildings that have bark timbers. The removal of any bark will make the infestation die naturally due to lack of food source to survive.
False Powder-Post Beetle
This wood-boring woodworm of the Bostrychidae family has large, unique and rather frightening thoracic horns. It is found in Arabia and some parts of Africa. It is often imported in timber to Europe and Britain. In the UK, this beetle will generally be found in ethnic ornaments and wooden bowls that people have bought abroad and taken back as tourist souvenirs.
Learn more about Woodworm Treatment.
Woodworm is an infestation that can cause damage to furniture and other products made of wood. These pests inject themselves in the wood materials and lay eggs right inside, marking the beginning of a proper cycle in which the larva begins to eat tunnels into the wood. The Deathwatch, Furniture and Longhorn are the most common woodworms around the world, being found in the UK, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Africa and to a lesser extent in many other parts of the world.
