The term ‘wood borer’ covers many types of wood boring beetles, some with wonderful names like Auger, Jewel, Stag and Pinhole Borers. But whatever they are called, you’ll want to say goodbye to them. Wood boring beetles most often attack dying or dead trees. In forest settings, they are important in the turnover of trees by culling weak trees, thus allowing new growth to occur. They are also important as primary decomposers of trees within forest systems, allowing for the recycling of nutrients locked away in the relatively decay-resilient woody material of trees.

• Adult beetles lay their eggs in cracks in wood. Outdoors this isn’t much of a problem, but inside your property they might infest floorboards, furniture, wooden beams and any other wooden objects.
• Larvae burrow deep into the wood where they feed – and in the process make a maze of tunnels over several years.

Wood boring beetles are commonly detected a few years after new construction. The lumber supply may have contained wood infected with beetle eggs or larvae, and since beetle life cycles can be one or more years, several years may pass before the presence of beetles becomes noticeable. If you have an infestation of wood boring beetles, it is best to consult a professional entomologist before contacting an exterminator.

Genuine infestations are far more likely in areas with high humidity, such as poorly ventilated crawl spaces. Housing with central heating/air-conditioning tends to cut the humidity of wood in the living areas to less than half of natural humidity, thus strongly reducing the likelihood of an infestation. Infested furniture should be removed from the house before the infestation spreads.

• Water based treatment - Designed to minimize the exposure of people, pets and the environment to chemicals used within our treatments. To assist with long-term protection the solution will remain within the layers of the timber, cracks, crevices and flight holes to prevent any future infestations becoming established. Our treatments also help in treating fungal decay.
• Fumigation - Profume is a specialist fumigation treatment. It is a gas fumigant with the active ingredient Sulfuric Fluoride. This fumigation process effectively eliminates all life stages of wood boring insect infestations.
• Heat Treatment - A chemical-free heat remedy reaches all areas of insect infested materials placed within the Heat Pod. It only requires a single treatment to solve an insect pest problem quickly with minimum disruption.

• Treat any bare wood with solvent based insecticidal borer fluid. Solvent based insecticides using turpentine or kerosene will penetrate deep into the timber and will kill larvae as they eat the wood. The insecticide also prevents adults laying eggs on the surface. In normal circumstances this will protect the wood to many years.
• Borer prefers timber that has some moisture in it. Ensure that your sub-floor is dry and well ventilated. Check for plumbing leaks and unblock all air vents. Check for leaks in the roof and if you have old terracotta or concrete tiles. These can act like sponges soaking up water and increasing the relative humidity of roof voids. Check that tiles are well sealed with masonry or terracotta sealer to prevent moisture penetration.

• Furniture is often polished, varnished, painted or otherwise sealed. Solvent based borer fluid may damage polish and varnish or paint will prevent penetration of insecticide. Polish, paint, varnish or other sealant would need stripped prior to use of solvent borer fluid.
• If stripping is not an option then injection of all flight holes with borer aerosol injector, taking care to promptly wipe off any fluid that spills on the surface, will kill eggs and larvae prevent re-infestation via the flight holes.
• If the furniture is a particularly valuable piece it might be worth contacting a fumigation specialist for treatment with methyl bromide in a sealed vessel or container. This is an expensive process but can eradicate all borers in 24 hours. However, there is no ongoing protection of the furniture and re-infestation would be possible if the furniture is kept where borer beetles can access it.