Woodworm in South Tyneside Home

South Tyneside features a wide range of homes that are susceptible to woodworm damage due to the age, from terrace homes to detached period properties.

Building defects can often cause moisture to penetrate inside, creating the ideal conditions for woodworm infestations. Because of the age of many properties, woodworm can cause severe damage if left untreated.

A surveyor from Peter Cox was called out to a detached property located in Cleadon which was suffering from a potential woodworm infestation.

The surveyor attended the property as the homeowner was concerned about creaking they noticed coming from their stairs.

The surveyor first carried out an examination of the exterior of the property. This is to assess the condition of roof coverings and guttering in order to determine whether or not moisture is entering the property. When the moisture content of timber is increased, woodworm infestations are more likely.

Moving inside the property, they noticed holes in the underside of timber located on the staircase.

The woodworm infestation had damaged the stairs' half-landing joists to the point where a screwdriver could be inserted into the joist without much resistance. This indicates a loss of structural integrity.

Woodworm can cause damage to all types of timber in a property, from floor boards and window frames to structural timbers in the loft, and even furniture.

The surveyor then moved into the loft space where the homeowner had also noticed signs of a woodworm infestation.

Key signs of a recent woodworm infestation in timber include fresh holes the woodworm larvae have bored to the surface and the existence of fine dust known as ‘frass,’ which indicates a recent infestation.

The most common woodworm in the UK is the Common Furniture beetle which causes about 75% of all woodworm damage and attacks both softwood and certain hardwoods.

Determining the species of woodworm is important because the treatment process will differ depending on what is found. If you think you may have a problem you should book a survey for a trained professional to take a look.

Woodworm infestations can take years to develop and may go unnoticed if you do not enter the loft space regularly. Fresh woodworm holes showing frass in emergence holes or on surfaces indicate recent 'active' infestation, meaning that the insect emerged in the last 2 years.

The surveyor outlined all their findings in a survey report, along with recommendations for woodworm treatments, due to the infestation being active.

Trained technicians replaced the damaged joists with new timber and sprayed the remaining timber with insecticide fluid to prevent further infestation.

Timber treatments carried out by Peter Cox typically  come with a long-term guarantee of 20 years offering the homeowner peace of mind the outbreak would not return, and it can also be passed over to new homeowners if the property is sold.

The survey report also provided details on the condition of the roof coverings and guttering, which the homeowner must address to stop moisture entering the property.

The local surveyor said “woodworm is a common problem found in properties in my patch across South Shields and South Tyneside, especially during the spring and summer months when the adult beetles start to appear. If you are concerned about a woodworm problem, it's important to solve it as soon as possible to prevent severe damage to structural timbers. It's not uncommon for floorboards to give way because an infestation has gone unnoticed!”

If you are worried about a woodworm problem in your property in South Tyneside, get in touch with your local Peter Cox branch for an expert woodworm survey, and specialist treatments, if required.