Woodworm is one of the most common problems that cause severe damage to your wooden furniture, doors, windows and sometimes, even flooring. Woodworm is not a specific species of insect, but the larvae of wood boring beetles that thrive in wooden materials and trees.
Woodworms feed on deadwood
Different varieties of wood boring beetles tend to lay eggs on surfaces of timber, furniture and trees. These eggs hatch into wood eating larvae and eat through the wood to survive and grow. As they eat the wood, they create pores on the surface of the wood. Woodworms mostly tend to thrive on deadwood. So open areas with dead or fallen trees in damp conditions is where the woodworms naturally thrive.
It has also been found that dry and treated wood is less prone to damage from woodworms. That is why woodworms feed on moist wood or wood that is exposed to dampness.
Woodworms prefer moist wood
Woodworms tend to attack wood with higher moisture content. Whether it is trees in the forest areas, or dead wood in damp conditions, or any other wooden items that have a high moisture content, they can get damaged by woodworms. For example, an abandoned cabin in a forest area with damp weather conditions is likely to get infested with woodworms.
The breeding cycle of wood boring beetles makes the wood weak. This is especially in case of trees in damp areas. Beetles lay eggs on the surface of the bark or the tree trunks and the larvae feed on the wood. The larvae grow into adult beetles and lay eggs again on the same wood. The cycle continues till the wood is totally damaged and consumed by the worms.
Buildings affected by woodworms
Woodworms can also be found feeding on the dead branches of trees in parks, backyards of your home garden and other areas where there is the slightest amount of moisture present. That is why woodworms are rarely a problem in hot and dry countries. Besides the dead wood and trees in damp or moist forest areas, woodworms also tend to thrive on the damp basements and furniture and other woodwork in old buildings.
In urban or residential areas, woodworms tend to enter the house through the dead branches or trees from nearby parks or forest areas. The problem is that these worms are invisible to the naked eye and the damage that they do to your furniture or home cannot easily be identified during the initial stages.
So if you are living close to the woodworms natural habitat, like a moor or a forest area, or even have dead wood in your own backyard, make sure you get your furniture treated and get rid of any infested wood or furniture inside the home.
If you would like to know more about woodworm treatment, go to our woodworm page or give us a call on 0808 273 2138
