wood worm.

[robgil]

ive seen three of these little blighter's now , at least i think they are wood worm. they look like this

except they have four dots on their back , they seem tough and are about the size of a very small wood louse. they could be long horn beetles but they dont have the long horns. anyhow , we may need to treat our house , any ideas guys? are diy spray's worth the effort?

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Encourage them to hold hands - the house may be relying on them :lol:

I understand the mayonnaise paste treatment is considered longer lasting than spraying, though more fiddly (though it's actually a very long time since I was last asked about woodworm and things may have changed). And of course there are other things to do with moisture, temperature and so on - which you have control over - that make living a bit more difficult for the little things.

 

[robgil]

i know that moisture plays a big part in making their environment nice for them so hopefully as the house drys out it should become more difficult for them to survive , never heard of the mayonnaise treatment Gareth , ive always thought a water based insecticide was used. after using clink strip on one beam i really dont want to go spreading anything more on there on there , very messy it was.
i take it i need to treat the whole house and not just the timbers with obvious bore holes?

 

[MdB]

Matt is likely to say that the females will only lay eggs on damp wood as that the grubs need the wood to have started to break down to be able to eat it. Dry the wood out and the bugs will leave, though you will still be left with the holes that ours and many other peoples houses still have.

Spraying puts some rather nasty chemicals into your house which is best avoided.

Matt though is the expert so do what he says.

 

[Me!]

Do they look like any of these?

 

[worms]

about the size of a very small wood louse. they could be long horn beetles

woodworm beetles are very small, long horn beetles are quite big. Not sure I would have used the woodlouse comparison with either, so it may be that your beasties are not woodworm.

 

[Moo]

Looking at your photo, and the ones on the link, it looks very like the deathwatch beetle!

 

[robgil]

here they are guys , just found another one. they are funny little things ,sometimes they play dead if disturbed.View attachment 2View attachment 1

 

[stephenh]

Looks like a Dermestid beetle to me - other names : larder beetle, bacon beetle, hide beetle.

Prefers to eat bacon etc, not a primary wood feeder.

Death watch doesn't have such 'bulgy' antennae, often confused.

Might be wrong...........

 

[Schoolmarm]

Offer it two small portions. One piece of bacon and one piece of wood.

 

[Feltwell]

Offer it two small portions. One piece of bacon and one piece of wood.

Don't forget the ketchup.

 

[Feltwell]

And don't forget - if they go for the bacon, look out for these other warning signs:-

- Are there loads of them one day, then inexplicably none the next?

- Do they target your tea mug as well?

- Do they appear and disappear almost at random throughout the day? Do they leave debris behind them? Are they at times slow to move and at other times almost feverish in their activity?

If so, you have "Builder Beetle". I predict it will take twice as long to get rid of them as you expected, and will cost more than you thought. :wink:

 

[Matt Green]

They are Attagenus pellio, Carpet beetle.

Adults feed on nectar, larvae feed on birds' nests, textiles, fur, hides and all things similar.

 

[Feltwell]

Good, a sensible reply, unlike mine! Are they likely to do much harm Matt? Presumably whilst Robgil's house is empty they are on a starvation diet.

 

[Matt Green]

The adults don't do much. The larvae will nibble the edges of your carpets, stored fabric and other protein containing animal matter. So;
sheepskin rugs, the rug of that Bengal tiger you had made after the shooting trip, mink coats in wardrobes, stag's heads mounted on walls- that sort of thing. Or, more usually, bird's nests in your roof or fluff caught between your floorboards.

No friend to taxidermists, for sure.

 

[Moo]

While we're on the subject of things that eat our houses, here's a salutary lesson:

During an uncharacteristic bout of houseproudness I moved a heavy wooden chest so as to vacuum under it.
You know what worm-eaten floorboards look like when you sand them? That's what the carpet was like. Something had really been enjoying itself.

Serves me right, of course, for putting down good quality wool, instead of the cheapo synthetic stuff I usually use.

 

[Feltwell]

Serves me right, of course, for putting down good quality wool, instead of the cheapo synthetic stuff I usually use.

Serves you right for moving heavy furniture to clean under it more likely. Don't you know it's supposed to be heavy to stop anyone moving it and discovering the dirt? :roll:

 

[Flyfisher]

Sounds like you've been bitten by the spring-cleaning bug Moo.

Be afraid . . . be very afraid . . .

 

[robgil]

lovely , thank you , as always i presumed the worst and am delighted to hear they are not munching on whats left of my house. they are probably eating birds nests as we dont have any carpet or anything like that , unless they are eating my couch.
thanks again.

 

[Moo]

Serves you right for moving heavy furniture to clean under it more likely. Don't you know it's supposed to be heavy to stop anyone moving it and discovering the dirt?

You're right, of course. I think I was getting brainwashed by all the lovely pictures of gleaming interiors that have been posted lately, and shamed by the discussions about exactly which shade of white to use (all my interior woodwork is dead flat dark chocolate brown).