You would be forgiven for thinking that woodworms are actual worms, however they are in fact the larvae of a number of different insects including moths, weevils, death watch beetles and house long horn beetles.  In most cases, however, woodworm refers to the larvae of the furniture beetle.

The woodworm will bore into pretty much anything made from wood including furniture, floorboards and structural timbers.  It’s unlikely you will ever see the actual larvae however you will see the tiny little holes they create in your wood.  Basically the larvae emerge as adults and leave the holes behind as they leave during the summer months.

Woodworm can come into your home if they are brought in via antique furniture however the beetles can also fly into your home from outdoors.  The furniture beetle particularly loves damp wood and plywood so if you have any damp problems you ought to get it checked out.  Damp can occur due to faulty plumbing work or a leak in your roof. 

Of course, if you have damp problems this can also cause mold and wet rot so it isn’t something you ought to ignore for long.  Woodworm itself is slow acting so you needn’t be sent into a mad panic about it.  Having your home properly surveyed by a professional company is very much advisable.  Make sure you get quotations from more than one company so you can get a true idea of what the treatment should cost.

Before you go on to have the woodworm treated you ought to find out whether the woodworm is old or active.  The way you can tell if it is active is to look out for any wood dust created by their boring.

If you are looking to take a DIY approach to woodworm in your wooden furniture you can buy surface treatments or you can buy products that are injected into the holes.  There are also insecticidal furniture polish products on the market.

For treating structural timbers you need to be able to have good access to them by removing insulation and you also need to cover up the water storage tank and electricity cables.  Floorboards should be lifted up so you can reach underneath them.  You can them treat them with woodworm treatment products that can be bought from DIY and builder merchant stores. 

Of course, if you have really bad woodworm you should consider using a professional as they can guarantee the work.  You might think that treating woodworm yourself will be really easy but if you do it yourself you might to have the experience to do the job properly.