Wood-boring beetles (anobium) in structural beams and how to prevent them

Wood-boring beetles are capable of destroying many objects that include structural wood. Most often, these bugs attack beams and various components of the roof. Wood is a high-quality material, but if not properly treated, the chances are that it will be attacked by wood-boring beetles. As with any pests, prevention is the most important thing. Prevention mainly involves ventilation, elimination of moisture and removal of small deposits. How to identify this beetle, what preventive measures you should take and how to get rid of it?

How can you recognize infected spots ?

It is rather easy. You will see the typical holes in the wood and you may even see the typical wood powder sprinkled around. If there is a total silence, you may even hear the beetle working – you will hear the typical wood crunching sound.

Photo: Pixabay

There are various prevention methods

First of all, the wood must be completely stripped of bark. However, this is a standard procedure if you are using structural beams. The roof should be designed to allow proper ventilation so the beetle cannot survive easily. In order to prevent the bug from reproducing, the humidity must be below 10% and that is not realistic. The best way to approach this issue is to use chemical treatment. A simple surface coating is enough. The colour is usually green but it does not matter. It may be different of course.

Photo: Pixabay

And how to get rid of this beetle?

Wood attacked by this beetle gradually loses cohesion, strength and becomes unusable. There are different ways to get rid of this culprit. First, let us tell you how our ancestors tried to fight this guy.

There are many folk advices…

For example, our ancestors tried impregnating the wood with vinegar, heated mothballs or a solution made from a lye soap. Another recipe included salt boiled with vinegar, pepper and wormwood. These devilish solutions were designed to kill the bug. Hot peppers and garlic were also added. Sometimes they let the wood freeze before use.

Effective elimination of wood-boring beetle

Special chemical solutions are used today to kill the bug. The most popular include, for example, Pentalidol, Xylamon, Xyladekor or Lignofix. Small pieces of wood or furniture are usually submerged in the solution until bubbles rise to the surface, but large beams, are injected with the chemical, which is done by professionals.

Preview photo: Pixabay