Late spring and summer are when adult woodworm beetles emerge from timber, leaving small round exit holes behind. If you have found holes in floorboards, joists or loft timbers, the key question is whether the infestation is still active.
What “woodworm” actually is
Woodworm is the larval stage of wood-boring beetles. The larvae live inside timber for several years, feeding as they go, before emerging as adults through exit holes. The most common in UK homes is the common furniture beetle, which prefers damp softwood.
Signs of active woodworm
- Fresh, clean-edged holes with bright wood inside, rather than dark and dirty
- Fine, powdery bore dust (frass) below holes, especially if it reappears after cleaning
- Weak or crumbly timber around the holes
- Adult beetles on windowsills in late spring and summer
Old damage or a live problem?
Many older properties have historic woodworm holes from infestations that died out long ago, often because the timber dried out. These don’t need treatment. One simple check is to clean away any dust and look again over the following weeks: fresh dust suggests activity.
Why moisture matters
Common furniture beetle larvae thrive in timber with a raised moisture content. Damp sub-floors, blocked air bricks and leaks all make infestations more likely. Treating woodworm without dealing with the damp often means it comes back.
Treatment
Where an infestation is active, a professional treatment is applied to the affected timbers, and badly weakened timber is repaired or replaced. Your surveyor will identify the species, confirm whether it is active and recommend treatment only where it is needed.
Find out more about our woodworm and timber treatment or book a timber survey.
