Woodworm (Deathwatch beetle)

danza · 18 Oct 2017 at 12:48

Sat in my lovely log cabin, minding my own business the other day, when in the silence I hear a quiet tapping sound from the floor.

It sounds exactly like Deathwatch beetle, and it's not confined to one single area of my cabin floor. No other UK species makes this sound, and after listening to several recordings of their telltale tapping, I'm 99% sure that this is what I'll be dealing with. The cabin was finished last August, and foolishly I didn't take steps to prevent woodworm from lunching the underside of the floorboards. The floor bearers are pressure treated though, do woodworm go for pressure treated timber?

Aside the huge ballache of pulling the entire floor up, I will need to treat and exterminate.

Has anyone here had experience in getting rid of this species, and if so, how/what did you use/do, and was it super effective?

My cabin floor is unventilated, so I plan on adding vents into the cabin to help keep the moisture levels down at the same time as treating the problem directly. A dehumidifier will also be used.

Anyone with any experience or pearls of wisdom?

Cheers!

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 18 Oct 2017 at 13:10

Normally preserved means treated for rot and insect infestation.
I suppose you cant stop them munching but I believe the treatment is toxic to them

panthro · 18 Oct 2017 at 13:24

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyl...0/How-can-I-get-rid-of-deathwatch-beetle.html

godinman · 18 Oct 2017 at 13:28

The old method was to burn the house to the ground, is this an option?

danza · 18 Oct 2017 at 20:40

No fire will be used(!) but apparently if you heat the area (entire structure) up to ~60°C and sustain it for ~1 hour, that kills them off entirely.

Likely not possible in my log cabin despite it being well insulated, though.

a1ex2001 · 19 Oct 2017 at 02:18

Are you sure it's death watch beetle theyvare pretty rare and even more so in newer constructions!

danza · 19 Oct 2017 at 07:15

From the sound they're making, I'm pretty certain. They apparently prefer hardwoods, but will go for soft if that's all that they can find. I'm in the south, and they aren't that uncommon down here apparently.

Got some Sikagard permethrin-based woodworm killer reserved at Screwfix, which looks like it'll do the job (and kill my cats if I'm not careful!).

Hotwired · 19 Oct 2017 at 07:48

panthro said:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyl...0/How-can-I-get-rid-of-deathwatch-beetle.html

damage is not caused by the adult beetles, which live for only a few weeks, but by the larvae burrowing inside the timber. This part of the insect’s life cycle can last for up to 13 years

What the heck :eek:

danza · 19 Oct 2017 at 08:38

Yep, they go on for rather a long time. I'm hoping that there are no bore holes seeing as this is the first time I've heard them and the timber is only a year old. I'll find out at the weekend!

Trifid · 19 Oct 2017 at 08:53

Hotwired said:
What the heck

Jesus! Doesn't the surface treatment only kill them when they leave?

thezappa · 19 Oct 2017 at 09:37

Trifid said:
Jesus! Doesn't the surface treatment only kill them when they leave?

No. They burrow in to the timber. Treatment only soaks in to the first few mm.

Trifid · 19 Oct 2017 at 09:42

thezappa said:
No. They burrow in to the timber. Treatment only soaks in to the first few mm.

But once they are there, that treatment isn't going to do anything, only prevent reinfection?

thezappa · 19 Oct 2017 at 09:54

Trifid said:
But once they are there, that treatment isn't going to do anything, only prevent reinfection?

Sorry yes, I was agreeing. And 99% of the time if you dry out the timber and warm the space (roof trusses for example) they will die off anyway.