Wood Borer

The term ‘wood borer’ covers many types of wood boring beetles, some with wonderful names like Auger, Jewel, Stag and Pinhole Borers. But whatever they are called, you’ll want to say goodbye to them.

Here are some helpful facts about Wood Borers:

Adult beetles lay their eggs in cracks in wood. Outdoors this isn’t much of a problem, but inside your property they might infest floorboards, furniture, wooden beams and any other wooden objects.

Larvae burrow deep into the wood where they feed – and in the process make a maze of tunnels over several years.

If you don’t have specialist Wood Borer control the larvae can seriously weaken the timbers in a building. If left untreated, this may lead to structural failure of timbers.

How to Identify Signs of Borer

You may not realise that you have a wood borer problem until the resulting damage becomes visible, so early identification is key before they cause more harm.

What Does a Wood Borer Look Like?

There are four stages of wood borer development

Egg
Larva
Pupa
Adult beetle

Adult beetles will lay their eggs in cracks in wooden objects, floorboards and timbers.

When larvae hatch they immediately burrow through the timber, making it very unlikely they would be seen. They’ll be hungry and your woodwork will be their only food source. Safely inside the wood they continue to tunnel and feed for several years.

As the larvae mature and increase in size, they bore towards the wood surface to pupate and emerge as adult beetles.

Fact: Different insects prefer different woods, which will help you to identify what sort is causing your problems. Some prefer softwoods like pine, spruce and cedar while others like hardwoods such as eucalypt, oak, ash, and mahogany. Whatever the species, all of them will leave some signs, if you have an active wood borer infestation. Find out more about the different species.

Signs of Wood Borer

Fresh exit holes in timber - round or oval shaped with sharp edges, the holes will appear clean and fresh.
Tunnels in the wood - also known as 'galleries' which are often hard to see.
Bore dust - (also known as frass) caused by emerging adult beetles, usually visible below the infested timber.
Weak and damaged floorboards - in extreme cases, a foot or chair leg going through the floor can indicate a more serious problem.
Crumbling wood - around corners or edges to roof joists or floorboards.
Dead beetles - usually found near the infested timber or around nearby windowsills.
Adult beetles - emerge from timbers between May and October.
Eggs - these vary in size depending on the beetle, but all are difficult to spot with the naked eye.
Wood Borer larvae - usually a creamy-white colour and curved in shape.

Dealing with a Wood Borer Infestation

If left untreated, wood borers can seriously weaken timber - this may lead to structural failure of timbers.

Our professional, experienced surveyors will carry out a thorough inspection to assess the extent of any problem and the type of wood borer involved. They will also determine if the infestation is active, check for associated problems such as wood rot or damp and if any timbers need replacing. Based on this detailed evaluation they will then recommend any appropriate wood borer treatment.

Wood Borer Treatment

After one of our experienced surveyors has carried out a through inspection, assessing the extent of any problem, the type of Wood Borer involved and determined if the infestation is active, an appropriate Wood Borer treatment will be recommended.

We treat Wood Borer issues in properties of all ages and sizes.

All Wood Borer treatments are specially designed to disrupt at least one of the lifecycle stages of the beetles. Ours target the young larvae buried in the timber.

How to Get Rid of Wood Borers

True Blue Pest Control Services technicians use specialist treatments to deal with Wood Borer problems:

Water based treatment - Designed to minimise the exposure of people, pets and the environment to chemicals used within our treatments. To assist with long-term protection the solution will remain within the layers of the timber, cracks, crevices and flight holes to prevent any future infestations becoming established. Our treatments also help in treating fungal decay.
Fumigation - is a specialist fumigation treatment. It is a gas fumigant with the active ingredient Sulfuryl Fluoride. This fumigation process effectively eliminates all life stages of wood boring insect infestations.

Wood Borers