Okay, I exagerate but I am regularly asked whether survey reports address the issue of ’woodworm’. Typically, just to confuse you, us surveyors call it ‘timber beetle infestation’. The term principally refers to one of eight different types of insect attack (Common Furniture Beetle, Waney Edge Borer, Ambrosia Beetle, Deathwatch Beetle, Wood Boring Weevils, Powder Post Beetle, House Longhorn Beetle and Forest Longhorns). In reality, you will be most unlucky if your house comes in to contact with any but Common Furniture Beetle or Waney Edge Borer (and the latter requires no treatment).
Common Furniture Beetle is usually inactive in centrally heated homes and in any event requires significant and prolonged activity to cause any real damage.
In rare cases, Death Watch Beetle and House Longhorn Beetle can occur and these are serious, leading to potential structural collapse. As with termite damage (found in one small village in North Devon - but a real problem on the continent and North America) the internal damage to the timbers is often considerably worse than it appears externally.
Ambrosia Beetle, Powder Post Beetle and Forest Longhorn Beetle damage can sometimes be seen to timbers but this usually occurs when the timbers are felled or stacked and treatment is not usually required.
It is, of course, sensible to keep an eye on your property but it is generally older buildings which tend to be affected and more often than not, the activity is old and needs no remedial work. If current activity is found it can often be indicative of another problem (for example fungal attack or damp issues).
If in doubt call us. We have a specialist who can diagnose the problem and recommend an appropriate way forward. We don’t undertake remedial work and as such you can be assured of a genuine and independent assessment with no hidden agenda.