Oak Wood Furniture

Woodworm - the Enemy of Fine Oak Furniture.

Have you ever have seen furniture that is peppered with lots of tiny round holes on the surface of the wood? These are woodworm holes, caused by the Common Furniture Beetle or Anobium punctatum, to give it its proper name.

The larvae of these beetles feed on timber. Larvae is a fancy name for worms or grubs and these small creatures feed on your fine oak furniture, riddling it with small holes. The really bad news is that favourite food for woodworm is fine quality oak. Preferably oak that is more than fifteen years old. In fact the more antique the furniture the better the food. After one to five years munching, the larva hatch out into beetles - furniture beetles. The adult beetle makes a slightly larger hole as it emerges from the furniture. It comes out of the woodwork in order to mate and then the female beetle lays eggs into cracks on the timber. These eggs hatch and the new grubs do even more damage to the furniture. A certain sign that furniture has woodworm is a scattering of tiny dust piles on the floor. This gritty dust is called 'frass' and is a mixture of faeces and food fragments from the tiny grub's tunnels that occasionally falls out of the holes in small piles.

An infestation can start when a piece of furniture, containing the larvae, is bought into the house. So, on acquiring a new article of furniture, the first thing to do is inspect all its surfaces for that distinctive peppering of small holes. This will alert you to the presence of woodworm. Remember, that although the flight holes may not be visible, the article of furniture may still contain eggs that are waiting to hatch. This is why it is recommended to treat all newly purchased pieces with a reputable brand of woodworm killer before they come into the house.

Restoring antique furniture is best left to the experts, but simple woodworm eradication procedures can be tackled effectively. Make sure you work in a well-ventilated area and that you protect yourself with gloves, goggles and waterproof trousers from the chemical fluid. Turn the furniture piece upside down and using a stiff brush, treat the under surface. Then, turn it back upright and inject each hole with a good application of fluid. Next, brush the fluid on all unvarnished surfaces like the bottoms and insides of drawers. The chemicals soak into the wood, killing the beetles and their larvae. It also makes it very unappetising food for any future visitors. Let the furniture dry thoroughly, outside in the fresh air is the best. Now it can be safely positioned in your home.

Woodworm not only spoils the appearance of furniture, it seriously undermines its strength with the honeycomb effect of all those holes. Take care to check, treat and protect your fine oak furniture enabling you to display its beauty for many years to come.