Thursday 13 September 2012

It's almost borer season

October is the adult borer flight season


So what! Well if you think you've got borer, now's the time to sort it out and break the borer life-cycle.

If you've got borer you're going to start noticing new holes, dark brown beetles and sawdust very shortly. This is because borer flight season is almost upon us.

Borer will happily bore away inside untreated timber throughout the year but you'll only really notice them from October-ish onwards. This is when the mature larvae pupate and emerge from your newly painted timber as adult borer beetles.

If you're seeing borer damage in visible timber it doesn't necessarily mean you've got a borer infestation. This could be old damage that has been treated in the past, however if you are seeing sawdust on flat surfaces it's more than likely that you have an active infestation.

Borer top view

Borer side view
DON'T PANIC! It is treatable. If the borer infestation is in the ceiling or sub-floor spaces a professional can apply a one off treatment that will kill the borer larvae in the wood before they have a chance to pupate and emerge as adult beetles (broken life-cycle = no more borer).

If you're seeing borer holes in timber inside your home the remedy is a little different. We can't treat the timber directly as it won't soak into the wood due to the paint and varnish but we can exterminate the beetles as they emerge from the wood and break the life cycle (broken life-cycle = no more borer). Unfortunately this means you'll need to get treatments sprayed on wooden surfaces throughout the home for the next four years to confidently eradicate the infestation. The good news is this is also an effective fly and spider treatment.....so no creepy crawlies over Summer for at least four years. Yayyyyyy.

So if you think you've got borer and need a professional opinion, don't hesitate to call the team at Bug King  for some friendly advice.

The team at Bug King/Chimney King