Borer

Wood Boring Insect Damage to Buildings and Interior Wood

 
All untreated timber is menaced by wood borer of which there are numerous such insects. However, as far as New Zealand is concerned, there are five main wood boring insects which damage buildings and interior wood work.
Common House Borer
Native two-tooth Long Horn Borer
Powder Post Beetles
New Zealand Native Termites
(and occasionally) Australian Subterranean Termites


Borer grubs will tunnel for 3 or more years in the timber and are most destructive at this stage of their life cycle before changing into beetles and emerging from the wood.
Borer damage in weatherboards allows entry of moisture, encourages rot and causes paint failure.
Flight holes in interior walls disfigure wall papers. Borer in roof timbers can cause severe weakening and in underfloor structures cause sagging floors and wall and sticking doors and windows.
Borer can attack and ruin valuable furniture. Moving new furniture into a Borer ridden house invites destruction and depreciation of the articles.


  WOOD BORER
Common House Borer, prefers softwood/sap timbers, makes round exit holes from 2mm diameter. The frass from the borings is a densely packed fine powder. Beetles emerge from wood generally between November and February.

Two Tooth Long Horn Borer makes large oval holes measuring 3-4mm across. They attack sap or heart timbers. Beetles emerge during the Autumn. Frass is also fine and packed into their exit holes.


  TERMITES


N.Z. Native Termites are wood-dwelling, they live in colonies hollowing out a cavity in the timber until it has only a thin layer on the outside, which makes it difficult to locate. However, a distinguishing feature is the presence of small, hard, oval six sided pallets of digested wood which are expelled from the runways. Affected timbers, if tapped, give a hollow sound and often show a wrinkled surface. This pest can cause major stuctural damage.

BORACURE SOLUTION

BORACURE trained inspector needs to survey property to ascertain what parts of the building are infected, type of species and degree of infestation. Recommendations may include sealed fumigation or liquid application of residual pyrethroid materials by spray or pressure injection of affected areas.
Contact us about Borer



ISS Boracure
0800 101 969
P - 09 579 9372   F - 09 579 2556
A - Private Bag 92239, Auckland
E - Boracure-Info@nz.issworld.com