Timber

[Barbera]

Hello
I've just joined the forum (looks very useful and interesting) having bought a listed period property last year.
I am concerned as we seem to have some sort of infestation. Here are some photos from our sitting room. Any immediate ideas what this might be? I thought maybe ants, as i found a cluster of ants nearby a while ago.
There are signs of termites from the past and some timbers have been replaced. There's no evidence of holes at present but there is this grit laying beside the sole plate and it reappears quickly.
Thanks
Steve

 

[Penners]

There have been one or two isolated reports of them, but termites are virtually unknown in the UK.

Can you tell what material the frass (pile of powdered stuff) is? If it's wood, then you probably have woodworm (aka: common furniture beetle) or deathwatch beetle. Infestations of both of these tend to diminish and often disappear once a damp building has been properly dried out. If the frass seems like powdered masonry, then perhaps you have either ants or masonry bees. Ants tend to exploit little gaps in buildings, rather than actually drilling holes, whereas masonry bees will often bore quite neat holes.

Ants are easily disposed of with a variety of ant powders, traps, etc. For masonry bees, see: https://www.spab.org.uk/advice/technical-qas/technical-qa-17-masonry-bees/

 

[Barbera]

Thanks for your reply, that's helpful.
We're getting someone to have a look so we can learn more about our property and (maybe) learn not to worry as much.
Regards