Woodworm Beetle

Woodworm refers to the larvae of the wood-boring beetles of which four species are the most common in Britain. As is usual with beetles, the adults are fairly harmless but the larvae have voratious appetites for - in this case - timber. They leave evidence of their activity as tiny, neat round holes (as if darts had been thrown at the wood). You will usually find small piles of powdery dust around the holes. This is known as 'frass' but it does not confirm that the infestation is current and active as frass can remain undesturbed for decades.

Woodworm Beetle: Description & Life Cycle

There are three beetle species in Britain that invade and consume wood; Furniture Beetle; Deathwatch Beetle; House Longhorn Beetle.

The Common Furniture beetle is widespread and active in all parts of Britain. The House Longhorn Beetle is sometimes seen in the south of England, but this is a 'notifable pest' and may only be treated by qualified professionals. The Deathwatch Beetle is common throughout the south, less common in the north and is not present in Scotland. The Deathwatch Beetle specialises in very damp timbers, especially if there is also fungal activity.

As the House Longhorn and the deathwatch Beetles should be dealt with by ptofessional operators, we will deal with the Common Furniture Beetle.

Description:

adult is 2.7-4.5 mm long
winged and capable of flight
brown in colour
adults leave the timber and so may be seen between May and September

Life cycle:

adults do not feed, they just reproduce
female lays eggs into cracks in the wood, or old exit holes
eggs hatch after 3 weeks each producing a 1mm long, creamy white larva
for 3-4 years the larvae bore randomly through the timber following and eating the starchy part of the wood and growing to about 7mm.
they come near to the wood surface when ready to pupate
they excavate small spaces just under the wood surface and pupate within 8 weeks
the adults then break through to the surface leaving a 1-1.5mm exit hole and spilling a small pile of wood dust called 'frass'
fresh frass is a fairly reliable indicator of a current infestation