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Loading...What is Woodworm? Are there (effective) home remedies? How to get rid of it? Do I have a woodworm infestation?
We provide answers to these and many other questions about woodworm
Welcome to La Carcoma!
Woodworm is the common name we use to refer to a group of beetles of different types that share a common trait: they feed on wood (xylophagous) during their larval stage. However, we must understand that there are different types of woodworm.
The term xylophagous comes from Latin and is quite descriptive:
Xylo: Wood
Phage: To feed, to eat.
Wood-Boring Beetle
Woodworm goes through two distinct stages, the first being the larval or worm-like stage, after which it undergoes a metamorphosis that turns it into a small beetle.
The most dangerous stage for our furniture or wooden items is the larval stage. At this point, we need to be especially cautious to prevent their attack if we’re not yet infested, or know the methods and home remedies to eliminate them if we’ve already detected the presence of woodworm.
Treatments During the Larval Stage
The treatments and home remedies we’ll discuss on our website are mainly applicable to the larval stage of the woodworm. In the adult stage, woodworm treatment is carried out using traditional insecticides and biocides.
Indeed, it’s only during its larval phase that woodworm, also known in some countries as the Wood Borer Moth, attacks wood since it serves as its food source. Once the larva undergoes metamorphosis into a beetle, its eating habits change completely: it will not consume any food in its adult stage, and wood will no longer be its source of nourishment.
Why Wood?
Many beetles grouped under the name woodworm have special bacteria in their digestive systems during the larval stage that help them process the cellulose present in wood. Other types of woodworm have complex specific enzymes designed to break down cellulose. There is even a type of woodworm that doesn’t feed on the wood itself, but rather on the fungi present in decaying wood.
In general, during the larval stage, woodworms prefer dry wood. They are rarely attracted to freshly cut green wood. However, they do prefer dry wood with a certain level of moisture, as this makes the interior softer and therefore easier for the larvae to digest.
Adult woodworms will lay their eggs on these dry wooden items, and whenever possible, they’ll do so in a crack or crevice in the wood piece.
Once the eggs hatch, the woodworm larvae will burrow into the furniture and wooden structures. This wood will serve as their food source until they reach adulthood.
The larval stage of the woodworm can vary in duration depending on the specific species and the condition of the wood that serves as its food, but it typically lasts at least a year—long enough to detect and treat it properly.
The metamorphosis from woodworm larva to beetle occurs inside the wooden item where it lived as a larva. Over the course of 7 to 8 weeks, it transforms into a beetle capable of flight.
Can Woodworm Fly?
Yes, in its adult stage it can fly. And although it only travels short distances, this ability is key for the woodworm and unfortunately dangerous for us, as it allows it to lay eggs in nearby areas, quickly spreading the infestation.
The adult beetle stage is short-lived. In just a few days, it will find a mate, lay a new set of eggs, and die without consuming any food.
As with any infestation, the prevention stage and early detection of a woodworm infestation are crucial to reducing its spread and achieving eradication. In early stages, home remedies can be very effective.
Eliminating Woodworm
On this website, we’ll share various home remedies and tricks so you can eliminate woodworm from your most valuable furniture or wooden items without needing external help. However, in some cases, if the item is heavily infested, professional treatment may be necessary.
Choosing a professional and placing your trust (and let’s be honest, your money) in them is not always easy. We’ll give you some tips based on our own experience to help you choose a reliable professional.
Where to Go from Here?
If you want to learn more about these curious little “bugs,” you’ll find tons of information here. We invite you to browse our site, and if you have a bit more time, we recommend watching this entertaining video about woodworm where you’ll learn truly fascinating and unusual facts about these tiny insects. You won’t regret it—it’s the most enjoyable and simple way to learn everything about woodworm.
You can also visit our sections dedicated to other insects that can make our lives more uncomfortable than we’d like, some of which are harmful and even dangerous to humans. In these sections, you can learn all about the Tiger Mosquito, for example, or about Termites, which are often confused with woodworm infestations. We hope you enjoy it!
We also offer tips and home remedies to help you eliminate woodworm naturally. If, on the other hand, you have no choice but to seek professional help, our pages offer advice on how to choose the right one.
Website about Woodworm by Alfonso Uribe
Below, we show you the most effective treatments to eliminate woodworm for good.
