In nature, especially in Australia, there is an incredible variety of different species of insects, some of which feed exclusively on wood. Bark beetles, grinders, or termites can make a felled (wooden) house uninhabitable for literally several years. Are you ready for your house to be eaten? Bugs and ants can, if not destroy your home, then cause significant damage to it. Is it possible to fight this scourge and does it make sense?

Pest beetle

Who is chewing on a wooden house? Of course, the bark beetle! Substitute any other name — the essence remains the same: we know little about pests. We have a certain collective image of a pest, but sometimes we need to know more to fight it. The fact is that there are many types of pests, their behavior is different, and, as a result, the degree of damage and methods of control differ.

Beetles penetrate the wood in order to lay the larvae. That is, the beetles themselves cannot significantly damage the wood: they simply do not need it. But the larvae are a completely different matter — they are gluttonous and in no hurry to leave the wood. After ripening, they make a so-called flight hole and leave the house as a bug. Very soon, this bug will look for a place to lay its eggs. And now it is important that our home does not become this place again. How? We use protective equipment. Now is the time to remember that some consider pest control a waste of time and money. The argument is simple: they will gnaw and fly away, they will not live forever. They won’t, but they can return.

Types of pest bugs

There are many types of pest bugs. The most common are:

-wood grinder. The life span of the bug is no more than 6 weeks, but the larva remains in the wood for up to 10 years;

-furniture grinder. Prefers old wood. It is in the larval stage for 6 months;

-barbel beetle. It lives only in the bark. It is not dangerous to wood, but it can spoil the appearance with shallow surface passages;

-bark beetle. It is in the larval stage for only 3 weeks, but one female is capable of laying an average of 80 eggs.

How do you know if your house is infected?

The appearance of drilling flour next to wooden elements. By the color of wood dust, you can determine the depth of penetration of the pest. Dark flour indicates that the insect is in the surface layers, light flour means that the pest has penetrated deeper.

To penetrate the wood, the beetle makes a hole in it. Their presence should alert you. If there are many holes, and they differ in diameter, it means that a generation (or maybe more than one) of beetles has already grown in the wood, and the wood inside is damaged.

Wood crunching is also a sure sign of pests. The deeper it is, the deeper the larva is.

The consequences of their harmful effects are numerous:

Small holes in the surface that do not add beauty to the appearance of the building;

a high probability of mold and mildew in the affected areas;

premature aging and decrepitude of wood.

Pest control

For successful pest control, you first need to figure out where they came from. Bark beetles and grinders can come from nearby trees or the houses nearby, or they can be in the building material initially. For this reason, all materials should be carefully inspected before construction and renovation begin.

Types of wood protection and impregnation

By the principle of action, they can be divided into the following groups:

Fumigants.

Douching compounds.

Surface treatment materials.

Fumigants are simply sprayed in the immediate vicinity of wood and are poison for bark beetles and grinders. It becomes clear that from the outside this tool will not work effectively, moreover, it provides protection for a very short time.

Douching solutions are injected into the detected holes and are quite effective against insects. They also have their drawback: these funds are toxic not only to pests but also to people as well.

The most common and fairly simple method is to apply impregnating materials to the wood surface. These funds are also quite toxic, therefore, processing should be carried out in special protective clothing or use the services of professional pest control in Cairns.

Preventive measure

As a preventive measure, wooden houses should be timely protected against moisture penetration and the formation of damp spots, which are the most favorable areas for the appearance of insects harmful to wood.

Conclusion

Our best advice for you is to be careful and circumspect. Act on time and don’t postpone it. As you can see, pests can be a very serious and dangerous problem. We hope that our advice can help you live in a healthy home. Take care.