On 7 Jan, 13:01, Invisible Man wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote:
Invisible Man wrote:
Invisible Man wrote:
RobertL wrote:
On Jan 5, 8:41 am, wrote:
On 4 Jan, 14:09, RobertL wrote:
the Victorian house we recently bought, and which is empty while we
are doing it up, seems to have a lot of woodworm holes. *It's in
floor
boards and joists. *The worst are some ground floor joists. *I know
that in heated hosues these infestations tend to die out but I cannot
tell whether this infestation is active or not. I plan to take
professional advice but....
I know (from *past experience) that most comanies require you to lift
floorboards every metre (and use a 1 metre spray nozzle). *I would
like to avoid lifting so many boards because of the damage. *Most of
my boards run right across from side to side so they are hard to lift
without either cutting the boards or removing the skirting boards.
Does anyone know a company which will treat an infestation (if
required) using longer (say 2m) nozzles, so I can lift fewer boards?
Many thanks,
Robert
Dear Robert
As Gerald so rightly observes the chances of your Victorian house
having active woodworm is remote. From the evidence I have
subjectively and slightly objectively (ie survey data of about 200
houses surveyed) assessed, I put the chances at between 1% and 5% at
the most. So what do *you do? Firstly may I say that at this level of
risk the cost of treatment - say £1,000 by the time you have done all
the work - is a poor investment and is best off in unit trusts or
elsewhere.
......
Thanks for this advice. *However, *ideally I'd like to know now
whether the infestation is live and treat it if it is. *The house is
empty, boards are lifted all over the place. *By september (when
'holes in paper test' would be done) we will have moved in so it would
be much more disruptive to do what now is a simple job.
I've booked Rentokil to survey the house and advise on the infestation
and treaatment. * They have a fogging system.
Robert
Robert
I would be very interested to hear what Rentokil have to say. My
tissue paper has been on nearly a year and I have not checked it yet.
Problem is that eggs or whatever lie in the wood for up to 3 years
and emerge between May and October. As I understand it this makes it
very difficult to tell whether an infestation is still active.
We need to gut the kitchen and replace it from floor to ceiling
inclusive asap so the sooner we can exclude the possibility or
further damage or get it dealt with the better.
Rentokil are coming out tomorrow.
Anyone know any good companies that operate in mid-Essex that I could
get a competitive opinion on my woodworm from?
AFAIK woodworm need damp wood, which is why live infestations are
unusual these days
Rentokil been out today.
Reckon the fresh stuff in some holes means the little bu**ers are still
boring heir way out.
Kitchen will need at least one part of a joist replaced.
Probably getting the underfloor area fogged from a limited number of
removed boards. Assuming not too many obstructions they reckon they can
fog up to 8 metres.
We want to get the kitchen replaced now complete with its undulating
floor and dodgy ceiling. We intend to be here for a good many years so
would rather be safe-ish than have to rip the house apart when we are older.
Dear Robert
Reckon the fresh stuff in some holes means the little bu**ers are still
boring heir way out.
That is not a correct deduction. The only safe criteria of activity
are flight holes that are new, movement of larvae on subseqent X rays
with time (lab research methodology) and frass pushed UP against
gravity on a top surface of a timber.
Such an assertion either shows ignorance or a desire to stimulate you
into a contract. I have seen this approach for well over 30 years and
find it rather dispriting.
If you ask the surveyor the question "How do you know it is 'fresh'?"
with the emphasis either on you or know it would be interesting to
hear the answer!
No one can tell it is fresh! It is woodworm "poo" and basically wood
with some nutrients extracted and the only obvious ways such a
material can look old is by UV light degradation, desiccation or dust
on it.
None applies to frass inside a hole
Not suprising if they break it open and it looks new - none of the
above factors!
It would be very interesting to see the COSHH assessment and the
reasons HE cites for activity! ("I've been in this business long
enough to know it when I see it"... would be my best guess! Great
science that !)
Let me comment on some other beliefs expressed above (with no
intention of demeaning - just education)
Wet wood is more prone to WW than dry wood but dry wood is not imune -
(it IS called common furniture beetle after all and most furniture is
pretty dry)
Wood with Nitrogen is favoured (pee on the floor in front of a WC is a
favoured food source / location!)
May to September was considered normal but it may be later with global
w....
It is the sapwood that is mainly attacked. That is often on the edges
of boards
The Invisible Man could easily use Vapona-type strips or insectide
smokes at approptiate intervals to control without coating the wood -
OK it would take a long time and Vapona is no longer sold but there
will be an equivalent
Failing that he could use pheremone traps! All a lot of effort but it
can be treated (we prefer the term controlled) without coating
The idea of sacrificial wood is nice but not really a proper control
mechanisim for an existing attack - a bright window or air brick would
be far more effective for a photophilic insect
It is true they love wicker (no heartwood!)
Gerald is spot on with his story
INvisible man needs really wait only one flight season to be pretty
sure - 3 years is the upper limit in theory
To find a well infested house timber not produce a flight hole on a
large monitoring area one year and do it the next or the year after
would not be at all likely and if exceptionally it occurred would only
be one or two holes locally not the whole area
Best wishes
Chris