Your home is usually one of the largest investments you will make in your lifetime. Watching as that investment succumbs to the attacks of wood-boring insects can be heartbreaking and, worse, dangerous.
In New Zealand alone, homes can fall prey to as many as seven different species of wood-boring insects. These pests attack the important timbers of your home and other buildings, causing all kinds of damage. In New Zealand, the most commonly found perpetrators are known in many parts of the world as a Woodworm or the Common House Borer.
The problem with these insects is that they can be difficult to get under control because of their life cycles and breeding cycles. Just one female woodworm can lay as many as one hundred tiny eggs in old flight holes or on exposed wood. These eggs hatch just over a month later and immediately start to bore through the timber, eating as they go. They remain in their little chambers for the next three to four years before eating their way to the surface, finding a mate and starting all over again!
How To Treat A Wood-Boring Insect Infestation
Treating infestations of wood-boring insects is essential to maintaining the structural integrity of your home. No matter what species of wood-boring insect has made its way into your property, the treatment plan remains the same.
At the first sight of infestation, make sure to do a thorough inspection of your property. What seems to be just a few holes could be the tip of the iceberg with considerable damage beneath the wood’s surface. It can be a good idea to bring professional help in, if that’s an option for you.
To treat the infestation yourself, you need to get your hands on a good insecticide like Kiwicare NO Borer Fluid. Insecticide fluids like this penetrate the timber, working their way in until it finally reaches the wood the larvae are eating, killing them. The fluid remains in the timber, discouraging any other wood-boring insects from laying more eggs on the surface. Often, these treatments will be effective in treating the wood for years to come.
To use the fluid, you need to inject the flight holes made by the wood-boring insects with the insecticide. Kiwicare NO Borer Injection Fluid conveniently comes as an aerosol with a special nozzle that will fit into the holes. When sprayed, the aerosol forces the fluid deep into the tunnels the wood-boring larvae have created. It works in the same way as the regular fluid, killing off larvae and discouraging future egg-laying.
October – May is considered the flight season for wood boring insects in New Zealand. Kiwicare NO Borer Borafume Bombs set off in areas with exposed timber like roofs and subfloor areas will get rid of any adult insects waiting to lay their eggs.
In addition to using the right insecticides, it’s important to keep the wood in your home dry. Borers love moist timber, which typically occurs when there are plumbing leaks or poor ventilation. Keeping an eye on any vents and making sure there are no plumbing issues or leaky spots on your roof can help prevent excess moisture from forming.
A good combination of the above will go a long way in protecting your home from the damage wood-boring insects can cause.