One of the biggest issue with pests is that many of them can damage your property. This damage can take many forms – from birds destroying your roof to squirrels trashing your attic. But one of the most destructive kinds of damage is when you have pests eating your wood.
The reason why is simple: when pests eat wood, it can often lead to structural damage. For example, these pests can eat through the beams and timbers inside your home. Not only that, pests may also damage valuable and expensive furniture. So, what can you do about this, and how can you identify which pest you’re dealing with?
Types of pest that chew on household wood
There are several kinds of pest that may be eating your wooden items. These include:
1. Woodworm
Woodworms are common in the UK. The biggest sign you will see are tiny exit holes scattered across the surface of the wood. You may also see piles of dust near these holes.
Another sign is where wood crumbles or seems weak and damaged. Something else to watch out for are tunnels in the wood. While these are difficult to spot because they are inside the piece of wood, these insects do occasionally dig near the surface.
Woodworm are not actually worms, but rather they are a type of beetle. It is the woodworm larvae that do the chewing. in some cases you may even catch a glimpse of these larvae. They are a shade of milky white. The beetles tend to lay eggs in wood that has a high moisture content. This is because their larvae prefer to eat wood that resembles the decaying trees they would live on in their natural habitat.
2. Rodents
The category of rodents can include rats, mice and squirrels. The reason why these pests eat wood is because their teeth never stop growing.
This means they’re constantly forced to chew on something in order to keep their teeth short. These gnaw marks are fairly easy to spot, and are often found on skirting boards and the lower parts of furniture.
The problem with rodents is that they do not only chew furniture and beams. In additional to eating into your wood, they can also damage metals, plastic, or even brick. Rodents’ chewing habits can become a serious hazard when they chew through electrical cables. If this happens then it can often lead to an electrical fire.
