salamander Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I've searched for this topic but can't find any relevant posts - we surely can't be the first to have this little horror on our termite report?Is it just the nastiest type of woodworm or does it bear any relation to the seriousness of a termite infestation? If a house has woodworm, it wouldn't put me off at all. If it has termites, it would be a definite no-no. Is deathwatch beetle really at the milder end of the timber infestation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blanche Neige Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 We had this worry when we received out termite report. The report stated that we had no termites but there were vrillettes which according to our dictionary were deathwatch beetles! After much research and finally telephoning the man who did the survey, we were assured that they were not serious and I imagine they were woodworm or something very similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Nothing like as serious as termites, but they and woodworm do need to be treated. You can do this yourself or use the professionals - for termites I would recommend only using professional firms since you at least have some form of guarantee and come back should then worst happen. If you search on woodwrom you will find various threads on how to do it yourself, what works, what doesn't work well and the benefits of DIY versus the costs of a professional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Xestobium rufovillosum, Grande Vrillette or Horologes de la mort = Deathwatch beetle, more common in France is Anobium punctatum, Virllette = Funiture beetle. Both are known for inhabiting the woodwork in houses, one way to know which you have is by the diameter of the exit holes, Deathwatch beetle 3 to 4mm, Furniture beetle 1.5 to 2mm. The other of course is that you can hear Deathwatch banging their heads on the woodwork in spring time. Not a big problem if treated, rarely prolific, woodworm is probably more damaging.If it was me, I would have a look myself and see how much damage there is, where it is, and also whether or not it is recent or a hundred or two years old!Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salamander Posted February 2, 2006 Author Share Posted February 2, 2006 Thanks a lot for your replies. It seems the name is the worst aspect of this infestation.It's quite possible the beetle has been around a long time as the vendor was born in the house and she's just recently moved to a retirement home. In other words it's a long time since the wood's been inspected - if ever!I'll check out the posts about woodworm. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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