Woodworm
There are 4 prominent types of woodworm in Cyprus. The Furniture Beetle, the House Longhorn Beetle, the Deathwatch Beetle and the Powder post Beetle.
WOODWORM 1 (The Furniture Beetle)
The furniture beetle is the most common Cyprus woodworm. This beetle attacks softwoods, leaving 1-2mm exit holes behind it. They will seek out and occupy plywood for longer than any other timber. Damage by the furniture beetle is identified by tiny holes in the surface of the wood. These holes are in fact exit holes, showing that the adult beetle has emerged from and left the spent timber after thoroughly tunneling through it. The beetle lays its eggs on top of the wood, and the grubs burrow and tunnel into it. With active woodworm there is a visible scattering of tiny dust piles on the timber. Structural weakening to the building is possible with the furniture beetle in timbers with a small cross section and there is a lot of damp. This is especially common in old houses.
WOODWORM 2 (The House Longhorn Beetle)
The house Longhorn Beetle is principally found in roof timbers where it attacks the sapwood of exclusively softwood timbers often resulting in structural weakness. The House Longhorn Beetle prefers unfinished wood like old floorboards and loft rafters in the roof - these are good targets for the beetle, as are damp floorboards, damp loft timbers and old furniture where the polished finish has worn off. The holes and tunnels of this beetle are significantly larger than the furniture beetle.
In Europe, building Societies and insurance companies will insist that a specialist company provides treatment for this infestation. Treatment for this beetle can be done only by professional, certified pest control companies such as Atom Exterminators.
WOODWORM 3 (The Deathwatch Beetle)
Deathwatch Beetle is common throughout the entire island. This beetle viciously attacks large hardwood timbers such as Elm and Oak. Due to its incredible appetite, after starting in hardwoods like these, the beetle will move onto softwoods in a all-you-can-eat extravaganza. The beetle is able to develop extremely rapidly. Treatment must be done by a certified professional immediately.
WOODWORM 4 (The Powder post Beetle)
In the larval stage, Powder post beetles can spend months or years inside wood. Their presence is only apparent when they emerge from the wood as adults, leaving tiny holes behind them. If wood conditions are right, female beetles may lay their eggs and reinfest the wood, continuing the cycle for generations. Heavily-infested wood becomes riddled with holes and rooms or basements packed with a dusty frass (wood that has passed through the digestive tract of the beetles). Both hardwood and softwood can be attacked by powder post beetles. Items that can be infested by powder post beetles include any wooden tools or tool handles, frames, furniture, gun stocks, books, toys, bamboo, flooring, and structural timbers - which presents grave danger.