Woodworm Treatment Specialists Across Scotland

Identifying a woodworm problem in your property can be alarming, however professional treatments will help eradicate the infestation, giving you long term results.

Wise Property Care are experts in woodworm treatments across Scotland, providing homeowners, social housing providers and commercial clients with effective solutions for woodboring beetle infestations.

The first step is for a qualified surveyor to carry out a damp and timber survey to identify the type of species affecting the property and whether the woodworm infestation is active.

Woodworm refers to the larvae of any wood-boring beetle, rather than one particular species. All invade and consume wood in the larval stage and leave as an adult beetle, creating what is known as the flight hole. Adult beetles emerge from the timber April to September and can easily be seen by the naked eye.

Because woodworm larvae can remain hidden inside for years consuming timber, specialist repairs may be required. Larvae will tunnel within the wood, removing its structural integrity, ultimately causing joists, beams and floorboards to fail.

We will fully investigate the extent of the infestation before carrying out expert woodworm sprays and timber repairs to any damaged timber.

Typically our woodworm treatments are backed by our 20 year guarantee, giving you long term peace of mind the problem is solved.

There are various woodworm species that can infest timber in Scotland, and because of this, different treatments may be required depending on the species.

On some occasions in listed or heritage properties, woodworm damage can be from an historic infestation which is no longer active. If this is the case treatments are not required.

For small isolated areas of woodworm damage, or for a woodworm infestation affecting furniture or wooden items brought into the home, DIY treatments can prevent the problem from escalating, but this is not guaranteed.

Where structural timbers are affected it is recommended to carry out professional treatments. Professional treatments carried out by Wise Property Care are typically backed by long term guarantees, giving you a long term solution.

Wise Property Care have a number of CSRT and CSTDB qualified surveyors that will investigate your property, and provide you with a survey report with recommendations on next steps for any identified woodworm infestations.

They will take the time to investigate both the exterior and interior of your property in order to identify defects that can cause timber or damp issues. The surveyor will then assess the condition of internal timber, identifying if the infestation is active or not, and the type of species involved.

Where timber is severely damaged and has lost its structural integrity, it may need to be replaced.

All findings will be detailed in a survey report, outlining their findings, and whether woodworm treatments and timber repairs are required. Where elements of damp proofing are required this will also be detailed in the survey report.

If you do require professional woodworm treatments, Wise Property Care will eradicate the woodworm infestation by preventing the life cycle from completing, therefore preventing further damage to timber.

An experienced technician will arrive at your property at an agreed time, and will keep you informed with the treatment process.

Preparation work will take place, as often woodworm infestations are in hard to reach areas such as lofts, roof spaces or sub floor voids. Dust and debris must be removed before the treatment process, to ensure adequate treatment of all affected surfaces.

Specialist insecticidal products are then applied, which will eliminate woodworm on contact, or will be ingested by the larvae.

Typically insecticides are applied by spray or brush, depending on the access, extent of infestation and size of the affected timbers.

This stops the life cycle of woodworm, killing eggs on the surface and the larvae near the surface. Over time the full infestation will die out.

Woodworm treatments carried out by Wise Property Care are conducted by trained technicians in accordance with label conditions and HSE guidelines.

Any associated damp problems that are contributing to the infestation will need to be addressed. The larvae of all woodboring beetles obtain their water requirements via the wood they ingest, so the damper the timber, the better it is as a food source.

Damp problems are often caused by building defects, and can cause problems such as wet rot and dry rot. Elements of damp proofing may be required, along with improvements to ventilation.

Areas such as attics, sub floor voids, basements and the underside of floorboards are susceptible to high humidity, which can cause further problems.

Woodboring Weevil infestations actively require damp and decayed timber to survive, so removing the source of moisture will prevent the infestation, rather than using professional sprays. They are also unusual in the common woodborers as both the larvae and adults ingest wood, so decay can be rapid.

Where timber has lost its structural integrity, it will need to be replaced. The full extent of timber repairs will be detailed in the survey report, with any timber that is structurally damaged or weakened, removed and replaced.

The technician will remove the affected timber, but where they can, they will retain as much of the original timber as possible.

For heritage or listed buildings, we can carry out timber resin splice (TRS) repairs, which is a cost effective way to repair damaged timbers as they allow for large sections of unaffected timber to be left in place.

Our technicians are provided with floor coverings, dust sheets and vacuums to keep your property as tidy as possible. They will also use Hilti dust extraction units to minimise airborne dust from settling.

Floorboards are one of the most common places woodworm infestations occur in Scottish properties. This is because the infestation remains hidden out of sight, while the sub floor void under the floorboards often has damp problems and poor air circulation, so the wood moisture level is high.

A surveyor will inspect hard to reach and hidden areas where woodworm can be found, checking the sub floor voids and the underside of floorboards for signs of active woodworm infestations. They will also consider the ventilation in these spaces, and if improvements or damp proofing is required, this will be detailed in the survey report.

Where floorboards are damaged, our technicians will carry out replacements where required.

Wise Property Care woodworm treatments are typically backed by our ‘real and meaningful’ long term guarantees, up to 20 years for some of our services, including woodworm.

Once the treatments have been carried out, and the technician on site conducts a final sign off, you will then receive your guarantee, if applicable. This will give you the long term peace of mind that comes with a professional woodworm treatment.

All details of the guarantee will be included in the survey report provided to you by the surveyor.

The guarantee can also be transferred to future homeowners, should you choose to move in the future.

Wise Property Care can provide woodworm treatments from our network of local branches across Scotland, so if you are concerned about a woodworm infestation affecting your property, get in touch today.

We have experienced and qualified surveyors local to you, ready to provide you with expert advice and recommendations.

We have full coverage across Scotland, no matter where you are, we have local and qualified experts nearby to help with your woodworm problem.

If you are considering professional woodworm treatments, you want to use a company who will solve the full extent of the problem, leaving you with long term peace of mind.

• Wise Property Care have been fixing timber problems and building value back into Scottish properties since 1996.
  
  
• Wise Property Care have both CSRT (Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatments) and CSTDB (Certificated Surveyor of Timber and Dampness in Buildings) qualified surveyors - meaning no matter where you are in Scotland, we have a surveyor local to you.
  
  
• We have a proven track record working with homeowners, social housing and commercial clients across Scotland, ensuring full compliance with industry regulations and health and safety standards.
  
  
• We are proud members of the Property Care Association (PCA), the trade association that governs our industry. This means you can trust you’re getting professional and honest advice, and treatments following the industry best practice.
  
  
• Wise Property Care are endorsed by Which? Trusted Trader - meaning our customer service and workmanship has passed rigorous trading standards assessments.
  
  
• We are rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 550 independent customer reviews from across our branches in Scotland.