So you can get rid of it pollutant-free

the essentials in brief

• Woodworms infest both old and new, moving or stationary, but above all built-up wood
• An infestation can be found in the sawdust at the foot of the infested wood and by the nibbling noises
• Woodworms can be combated in an environmentally friendly way with strong heat (over 55 ° C), strong cold (below -12 ° C) or vinegar, ammonia or isopropanol
• Pesticides should only be used in an absolute emergency

Which places are at risk?

Woodworms primarily have built-in, processed wood in their sights in order to lay their eggs in it. The pests do not care how old the infected piece of wood is. The new sauna is not spared, nor is a valuable antique. Against this background, it is not very reassuring that Hausbuck and colleagues usually spurn fresh tree wood in gardens, parks and forests. In and around the house there is a wide range of veritable places for the voracious rabble. The following table lists typical places where you can expect woodworm infestation:

Woodworms infest both old and new pieces of furniture - unless they are protected

The woodworm doesn't care if you use a piece of furniture every day. As long as the table, chair, cupboard or chest of drawers are made of wood, cheeky female beetles can use all furniture as a breeding ground for insatiable larvae. Antique furnishings made of wood are just as unsafe against wood pests as recently purchased furniture directly from the carpenter's workshop.

Detect active infestation

Before investing a lot of time, effort, and money into combating it, make sure that it is an active woodworm infestation. Tiny holes in the wood are only an indication that maggots have been in it at some point. How to determine an acute presence of wood pests:

• Heaps of sawdust: Lay out dark paper and check for fresh sawdust
• Feeding noises: Pay attention to audible gnawing noises at night
• Beetle: Keep an eye out for live or dead bugs
• Gnawed foil: Cover wooden holes with foil in spring and inspect for gnawed exit holes by autumn
• document: hire a certified expert before starting costly control methods

If there are no doubts about an active infestation based on the evidence, please dedicate yourself carefully to the further procedure. There is seldom any urgent need to take control measures against woodworms. Experience has shown that the woodworm drives its work of destruction leisurely but unstoppably. For this reason, there is no reason for blind actionism, such as using the chemical club or digging deep into your wallet. In the early stages or in the event of local infestation, there are tried and tested options for combating the pests yourself using natural means.

Active woodworms can be recognized by the fine sawdust around the affected piece of furniture

Fight woodworms without toxins - means and methods at a glance

The invasive destructive power in the immediate living environment of the family makes the fight against house longhorns, rodent beetles and cronies a difficult undertaking. Here the plausible desire for non-toxic methods meets a die-hard pest with a clever survival strategy. The following table provides an overview of biological agents and methods that effectively combat wood pests:

Home remedies versus woodworm - tips & tricks

Local infestation favors woodworm control with natural means. The focus is on tried and tested home remedies, which the above table mentions by name. In the following we have put together some promising tips for successful use:

• Isopropanol: apply with a paintbrush, pack airtight in foil, leave to work for 3 to 5 days
• vinegar: Pour vinegar essence into syringe and spray into each woodworm hole
• Ammonia: Put on respiratory protection, place wood with open ammonia under a foil hood in the sun for several hours

The use of home remedies should not be taken lightly. Please pay attention to important safety precautions. There is an increased risk of fire when using high-percentage isopropanol. Vinegar essence can damage wooden surfaces. Vapors from ammonia are not only harmful to health, they also often change the color of the treated wood. Alcohol may act as a solvent. Test in advance in a hidden place that the wooden surface does not show any negative reactions to the biological agent.

Thermal combat - instructions for laypeople

Woodworms can be fought successfully and completely non-toxic with cold or heat

The woodworm is terrified of heat and cold. In fact, the insatiable larvae have nothing to withstand the heat or freezing frost. Unless the infestation is extensive, thermal control is available Wood pests are very popular because they work without poison and the corresponding tools usually available. This is how thermal woodworm destruction works:

• oven: Heat wood slowly at 60 degrees and let it cool down overnight
• sauna: gradually heat large pieces of wood to 60 degrees and cool slowly
• microwave: Microwave small parts several times for 90 seconds at 600 watts
• Drying chamber: Let mobile furniture heat up in the drying chamber at a carpenter's or a sawmill
• Freezer: Wrap wood in foil and place in the freezer for 2-3 days
• outdoors: expose worm-eaten wood to the cold under a plastic cover in winter

The microwave method also promises good results with large-scale woodworm infestation. Of course, for use on large pieces of furniture, thick beams or the entire roof structure, different calibres are required than the microwave in your kitchen. With the help of special emitters, shaped like a megaphone, the wood is bombarded with microwaves in sections. Holzbock and other wood pests do not withstand this treatment for long. The associated risks, such as overheating, risk of fire or cracks, require many years of experience, which certified exterminators and a reputable specialist company have to offer.

Non-toxic hot air process

Woodworms get upset with hot air when the outflowing air is more than 55 degrees Celsius. The hot air process has emerged as one of the best methods to combat woodworms safely and without toxins. Affected areas and areas are sealed with tarpaulins, apart from a controlled ventilation opening. External hot air blowers heat the wood for a period of 8 to 14 hours and destroy all insect pests in it.

You can achieve the effect locally with a hair dryer. The cost-benefit effect is of course assessed critically. The power-guzzling device should be activated for at least 45 minutes, which drives up the next electricity bill. Furthermore, the air flow is directed to a very narrow radius, so that a complete destruction of all maggots is pure luck.

Getting rid of woodworm mechanically

The effectiveness of home remedies and thermal methods is optimized with complementary, mechanical strategies. The motto is: with carrot and stick. By permanent row you make the beasts life hell. At the same time, you offer the larvae a tempting treat as a retreat outside of the wood. This is how the plan works:

1. Acorns lay out around the infested wood
2. From now on, knock the wood vigorously at every opportunity
3. Replace acorns with feeding holes for fresh fruit every 2 to 3 days
4. Dispose of acorns colonized with woodworm on the compost
5. Continue until you can no longer find any acorns that have been drilled through

Woodworm larvae have cracked and don't always fall for the knocking acorn trick. If the results remain far below expectations, compressed air technology can be used as a further mechanical approach. For this purpose, blow out each feeding tunnel from the round entrance with compressed air. Since you cannot see inside the wood, with the compressed air method you can never be sure that you have caught all the vandals.

Last resort pesticide

If all efforts to combat biological control come to nothing, the chemical club will be waiting at the end of the tunnel. The specialist trade offers numerous pesticides that kill woodworm larvae. The other side of the coin are toxic ingredients such as permethrin. It is a neurotoxin that is harmful to humans and pets. Important safety precautions must be observed in advance, which each manufacturer explains in detail in the instruction leaflet. The following products are rated as effective by woodworm-plagued users:

• Envira woodworm spray at a price of 11.80 euros for 500 ml
• Kluthe Holzwurmtod at a price of 17.99 euros for 2.5 l plus 5 disposable syringes at a price of 8.95 euros
• Xyladecor against woodworms with a spray head at a price of 11.50 euros for 250 ml
• Woodworm stop with injection attachment from Detia Garda at a price of 9.90 euros for 200 ml

The undisputed test winner is the woodworm spray from Envira. The agent is non-corrosive, odorless and non-flammable. The knock-down effect on the woodworm is primarily based on the ingredient permethrin. For large-scale use, the manufacturer offers inexpensive refill packs with 2 or 5 liters.

Entrust large-scale control to specialists

If the roof structure or load-bearing parts of the building are contaminated with woodworms, you should refrain from doing this yourself. Extensive self-control is associated with incalculable risks and is seldom crowned with success. Instead, rely on the experience of experienced and certified experts, because after all, it's about your home.

background

Chemical fumigation is the subject of criticism

Woodworm is a beetle larva

The term woodworm functions as a synonym for a whole flock of airworthy beetles and their larvae. If tiny holes in the wood of roof trusses, furniture or beams cause headaches, you are not dealing with worms. Rather, you are confronted with the destructive brood of the following species of beetles, which eat their way through the wood in the form of cylindrical maggots:

• Longhorn beetle, primarily house longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus): 8-26 mm long, winged, hairy brown to black and gray
• Common rodent beetle (Anobium punctatum): 2-5 mm long, winged, reddish-brown, very hairy, hooded pronotum
• Colorful pound beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum): 5-7 mm long, winged, dark brown with yellow hair spots
• Defiant head (Hadrobregmus pertinax): 4.5-6 mm long, winged, black-brown, cylindrical, sparsely hairy
• Brown sapwood beetle (Lyctus brunneus): 2.5-7 mm long, winged, red-brown, smooth, dotted elytra

Maggots of these beetles can hardly be distinguished by species for laypeople, because the color of the worm-shaped bodies is uniformly white to cream. In the course of several larval stages, longhorn beetle larvae reach up to 30 mm in length, whereas rodent beetle larvae rarely grow longer than 5 mm.

way of life

The larvae of woodworms quietly and secretly eat their way through the wood

A female beetle lays - depending on the species - up to 200 eggs a year in the wood and then leaves the brood to its own devices. Within a short time, the eggs transform into insatiable larvae, which bore their way through the beams, parquet, furniture or otherwise processed wood. Up to eight years pass before the larvae of the common rodent beetle pupate. The larvae of the house billy goat for up to 15 years. Only then does the metamorphosis into an adult beetle take place. On the way there, an extensive system of feeding tunnels is created, which significantly impairs the stability in the wood and, in the worst case, causes entire roof structures to collapse. The life span of a finished beetle extends over a few weeks in which no food is consumed.

This short excursion into the biological background of woodworm species does not claim to be of scientific quality or completeness. Various Wikipedia articles provide comprehensive information about the woodworm.

Digression

Do not confuse the house trestle with the wooden trestle

frequently asked Questions

What costs are to be expected if an exterminator is hired to control woodworms?

Estimating the costs of using a specialist company in advance is difficult if not impossible. Numerous factors determine the final price, such as the location of the infestation, the type of pest, the pressure of the infestation, the control method and the time used. A reputable company first inspects the property and then creates a cost calculation. As a rough guideline for the hourly wage, 100 to 150 euros can be expected. The killing of wood pests in built-in wood using non-toxic microwave or hot air processes costs an average of 600 euros.

Where can I buy woodworm control products?

Biological agents such as isopropanol or ammonia are available from hardware stores, for example from Obi, Toom or Hornbach. The range also includes insecticides, such as the test winner Envira Holzwurmtod or the tried and tested wood preservative Xyladecor for protective exterior paint.

My old chest of drawers is infected with woodworms. I've heard that the cold kills the pests. Is it enough to put the old furniture on the balcony when it is frosty?

Fighting woodworms with cold requires that you expose the infested chest of drawers to frost below -12 degrees Celsius for 48 to 72 hours without interruption. In Germany, this premise cannot be met in most regions, as temperatures exceed the threshold value at least during the day. If the balcony is in a winter-gray Alpine region or in the Ore Mountains, it is at least worth a try.

I read on the Internet that the woodworm can be fought with nitrogen without poison. Can I use the method to fight the pests in a living space myself?

Fumigation with nitrogen works on the principle of asphyxiation to kill the woodworm. For this purpose, infested wooden objects or an affected living space must be enclosed gas-tight with foil so that no oxygen can penetrate. Constant temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius and a treatment duration of 8 to 10 weeks are decisive for the success of the control. During this time, nobody is allowed to approach the apartment within 10 meters without special protective equipment. The control method is only permitted to certified specialist companies throughout Europe.

Fight woodworms with hairspray - is that possible?

In one or the other forum you can read that hairspray is good as a home remedy for woodworms. Theoretically, the spray could clog the maggots' sensitive respiratory organs, causing them to suffocate. In this context, it is underestimated that these are clever pests that eat their way deep into the wood - inaccessible to non-toxic hairspray. Effective woodworm spray has poisonous components in its luggage and is not only sprayed on the surface. Commercially available products have an injection attachment so that the insecticide can be delivered deep into the feeding tunnels.

Where can I find the contact details of certified woodworm control professionals?

The German Wood and Building Protection Association e. V. operates a comprehensive database with the help of which you can find a qualified company for combating wood pests in your area. Based on your postcode, an intuitive search mask will guide you step by step to the contact details. As a rule, there are several DHBV specialist companies to choose from.

Tips

In a vacuum, the woodworm runs out of air after four to twelve weeks at the latest. In order to free valuable antiques or irreplaceable family heirlooms from wood pests without poison, specialist companies offer temporary or permanent storage in a virtually vacuum. The method also works on its own for handy, small furniture, provided that the infected part fits into a vacuum bag measuring 180x90x50 cm and a vacuum sealer is available.