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TREATING WOODWORM
Once woodworm has been spotted it should be
treated immediately as any delay could result in the worm attack spreading to
vital structural timbers.
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Painted pine chest, c.1880
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One of the important things to look for
when buying second hand furniture is signs of woodworm. If you make the
mistake of buying something infested it may work its way through other pieces
of furniture and structural timbers causing considerable damage.
Woodworm is the larvae of the woodworm
beetle which lays eggs in cracks or bad joints, or in old flight holes from
which the beetles emerge. They usually attack the underside or back of
furniture mainly because these areas tend to be unpainted or unvarnished.
The eggs hatch into grubs about three
weeks later and tunnel their way through the wood emerging as beetles 3mm (0.1
inch) long up to three years later.
Woodworm attacks most types of timber,
particularly the softer woods, but almost never attacks teak or western red
cedar. Its presence is detectable by a cluster of small round holes about
1.5mm (0.05 inch) wide.
There is also a fine deposit of wood
powder where the woodworm has forced its way out the hole. If the
furniture has been recently moved, the fine powder may have scattered. If
you can, tilt the furniture so that the hole is facing downwards and tap gently
- if fine powder falls out the woodworm is still alive.
Also look for woodworm under the
furniture, and at the back, inside and under drawers and chair seats, and the
handles and feet. As a rough guide, if the holes are les than 6.5mm
(quarter inch) apart, then the timber is likely to resemble a sponge inside and
have little or no strength.
Beware of furniture where a woodworm
attack has been disguised by having the holes filled in, as the woodworm could
still be alive. This can be very difficult to detect without very close
inspection.
Signs of woodworm should be treated
immediately, preferably outside on a windy day as the woodworm killer fumes can
be toxic to breathe. If the attack is only light, soak all unvarnished
parts of the timber with a proprietary woodworm killer, using a brush or spray,
then inject the holes following the manufacturer's instructions
carefully. Avoid contact with the skin and eyes and bathe immediately
with lots of water if there is an accident.
You can also buy furniture polish
incorporating woodworm killer which eliminates further outbreaks. Check
regularly to make sure no fresh holes have appeared - if they have retreat the
piece and the surrounding wood to avoid furnther contamination.
CHECKING FOR WOODWORM
Unfortunately any tell tale fine dust
won't be obvious if the furniture has been moved about. Simply give the
furniture a firm tap where there are any signs of woodworm and if any fine
powder appears, treat the piece with insecticide immediately.
A large number of flight holes indicates
that the woodworm has been present for a long time and the interior is likely
to be honeycombed and weakened. You should consider carefully before
buying such a piece.
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Treating Woodworm