Wood weevil

[GGJ]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and have a very important question.

I've just found wood weevils in my stock pile, luckily in one area at the minute though I am going to have to go through everything I guess. My question is what can I do about it please? I'm a small one man business and can't afford expensive treatments like getting rentokill in. Will a 'bug bomb' do the trick or do I need to use a spray?

Thanks

 

[KevM]

I've had success by making a polythene tent around my timber pile and using an aerosol 'bug bomb' in the middle of it. Compared to spraying it seemed the lesser of two weevils. :wink:
Mine was only a minor infestation and it sorted it with no re-occurrence.

 

[GGJ]

My wood is in my workshop but it isn't a huge space, do you remember the product you used please?

Thanks for the reply

 

[KevM]

The stuff I used is "Insectaclear Power Fogger", marketed by http://www.lodi-uk.com, can't remember where I bought it, but it's the one that's listed here: http://www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/acat ... GER12.html
It doesn't explicitly state that it's suitable for use against wood weevils (I had it for a revolting outbreak of cluster flies in the loft - urggh!), but it's Permethrin based and leaves no residue. As I said, I tented it in to concentrate the effect.

Good luck

 

[MIGNAL]

Wood weevil, like many wood boring insects likes wood/conditions that are very damp. Get rid of the damp and the problem disappears.

 

[KevM]

Wood weevil, like many wood boring insects likes wood/conditions that are very damp. Get rid of the damp and the problem disappears.

Mignal's correct about making the environment as inhospitable as possible for the pests, you might also want to look into one of the companies that will sell you a multi-tiered treatment. The idea with these is that you use aerosol for quick knock down, and then spray or powder for lasting deterrence. I note a lot of the treatment companies advocate using Permethrin or Cypermethrin in liquid spray form to saturate timbers. One other thing, if you have a dog or cat that shares your workshop you may need to exclude it for a period of time.
I'm not expert in this field and I may have just got lucky with my one off fogger treatment.

 

[MIGNAL]

Personally I would leave the treatments alone. Every infestation that I've come across (nearly always woodworm) has been cured by inserting airbricks, stopping leaking drains/pipes etc. I've seen it hundreds of times and it's always been the same problem: very damp cellars/rooms, under leaking baths etc. In over 30 years I have never had one single infestation of woodworm in my workshop and that is including a time some 15 years ago when I introduced wood with active beetles. I came across them in early April when they were taking flight. For a period of around 2 weeks I regularly saw them land on the white painted walls of the workshop. But my workshop is far too dry for them. It's in an attic space. There has been absolutely zero evidence of them since.

 

[SteveF]

Two weevils crept from the crumbs. 'You see those weevils, Stephen?' said Jack solemnly.

'I do.'

'Which would you choose?'

'There is not a scrap of difference. Arcades ambo. They are the same species of curculio, and there is nothing to choose between them.'

'But suppose you had to choose?'

'Then I should choose the right-hand weevil; it has a perceptible advantage in both length and breadth.'

'There I have you, ' cried Jack. 'You are bit -- you are completely dished. Don't you know that in the Navy you must always choose the lesser of two weevils? Oh ha, ha, ha, ha!'



Steve

 

[Lons]

Two weevils crept from the crumbs. 'You see those weevils, Stephen?' said Jack solemnly.

'I do.'

'Which would you choose?'

'There is not a scrap of difference. Arcades ambo. They are the same species of curculio, and there is nothing to choose between them.'

'But suppose you had to choose?'

'Then I should choose the right-hand weevil; it has a perceptible advantage in both length and breadth.'

'There I have you, ' cried Jack. 'You are bit -- you are completely dished. Don't you know that in the Navy you must always choose the lesser of two weevils? Oh ha, ha, ha, ha!'



Steve

I've seen the film Master & Commander as well :lol:

 

[Eric The Viking]

Two weevils crept from the crumbs. 'You see those weevils, Stephen?' said Jack solemnly.

'I do.'

'Which would you choose?'

'There is not a scrap of difference. Arcades ambo. They are the same species of curculio, and there is nothing to choose between them.'

'But suppose you had to choose?'

'Then I should choose the right-hand weevil; it has a perceptible advantage in both length and breadth.'

'There I have you, ' cried Jack. 'You are bit -- you are completely dished. Don't you know that in the Navy you must always choose the lesser of two weevils? Oh ha, ha, ha, ha!'



Steve

I've seen the film Master & Commander as well :lol:

Bloomin' brilliant though, innit?

 

[MMUK]

My take on this is that you should be investigating the cause rather than the effect. Treatment is only a short term remedy, it will help to rid of current infestation but it won't prevent re-occurrence.

You need to ask yourself why this has happened. What is wrong with your current storage setup? Is it damp? Is there a lack of air circulation? How do you stack your timber stock? etc. etc.

 

[GGJ]

Unfortunately my cellar is damp and also I do have an issue with a leak behind a wall, think it is the drains though. Nothing much I can do, my wood does need to be stored much better I'll admit. I can't get the place warm to the point it would counteract the damp though, and dehumidifier would just be acting on the tip of the iceberg. I don't pay much for the rent on the place and really it is all I can afford much the pity, guess I will just have to get used to regular pest spraying. Thank you anyway everyone.

 

[tool-me-up]

Decent airflow will reduce the problem - I know its difficult in a cellar but think about systems like a positive pressure system ( usually fitted in attic spaces ) or even just a couple bathroom extractor fans would get some fresh air moving around.

If its quite damp I would get the wood off the floor and walls and stack it plenty of airspace between it.

You could stack it on box steel rails to keep it off the floor, old car wheels, anything that stable and not porous will keep the bottom level of timber dry

 

[MMUK]

Decent airflow will reduce the problem - I know its difficult in a cellar but think about systems like a positive pressure system ( usually fitted in attic spaces ) or even just a couple bathroom extractor fans would get some fresh air moving around.

If its quite damp I would get the wood off the floor and walls and stack it plenty of airspace between it.

You could stack it on box steel rails to keep it off the floor, old car wheels, anything that stable and not porous will keep the bottom level of timber dry

If the cellar is damp, using steel isn't a good idea, it'll promote concentrated areas of rot (ie; where the wood sits on it).

 

[tool-me-up]

Learn something every day eh?

I though the metal would stop the timber absorbing moisture from the floor.....

What would be the best thing to lift off the timber off the floor then?

Aluminum have the same trouble or is it just ferrous metal?

I wouldn't fancy it balanced on car tires but I guess they would be ideal other than stability issues.

Maybe you could use bricks, or steel with a few offcuts of DPM draped over them? so the lumber is protected from damp that way?

Just ideas - Ive never had enough wood to bother stacking in the first place lol

 

[pebbles]

I use plastic racking in my cellar to keep stuff off the earth floor, seems to work fine. It's been three years so far and no sign of becoming brittle or otherwise deteriorating.