It attacks damp and rotten timber and is particularly associated with Cellar Fungus, which is a common form of wet rot.{link to wet rot on commercial dry rot/wet rot page}.
Wet Rot is a fungal ‘infection’ of timber that affects the structural strength of timber and it can damage a building. Wet Rot decay happens when there are very damp conditions, with high levels of moisture and poor ventilation.
Cellar fungus (Coniophora puteana) usually found in damp basements, under floors and in skirting boards. This causes timber to darken and produce cracking both along and across the grain of the wood. It prefers very damp conditions in areas like basements, leaking roofs and wood floors where there is insufficient ventilation.
Therefore, where wood boring weevil damage happens, it is often a secondary problem after the damage caused by wet rot. Damage is done by both larvae and adults. The adult weevils are between 2.5 and 5mm in length, and the larvae are about 3mm. Here is a picture of an adult
beetle: http://micropics.org.uk/Curculionidae/Pentarthrum/huttoni/pentarthrum%20huttoni.htm.
You can identify a wood boring weevil infestation by the ragged exit holes (approximately 1mm diameter) and fine, gritty bore dust or ‘frass’. There many tunnels in the direction of the woodgrain and some of these come through to the surface.
For wet rot and woodworm treatment it is recommended to seek professional advice. Peter Cox Ltd will send an experienced surveyor will visit your property. The surveyor will outline the severity of the fungal and woodworm infestation and how urgent the need is for a solution. Our surveyor will describe the potential remedies, costs and alternatives. In this case, the primary objective is to deal with the dampness that induced wet rot timber decay and the weevil infestation.
It will be necessary to remove the source of dampness, rotten and infested timbers. Wet rot growth ends when the dampness is removed, and so does the weevil infestation. For information click on wet rot or woodworm. You can arrange a woodworm survey by entering your details into the form on the right of the page.
