What Is Timber Decay?
There are two main reasons for timber decay:-
Wood Rot
Excessive moisture for whatever reason can have a devastating effect on timber.
Timber rot comes in many different forms and it is all fungi based. The fungi will strip the nutrients and water from the wood and cause the wood to dry, crack, weaken and often disintegrate. This can cause serious structural damage.
To eradicate timber rot the source of moisture will first have to be removed from being in contact with the timber and then, depending on how decayed the timber is and what type of rot, the timber will either dry out by itself, or it will have to be sprayed with a preservative, or be replaced.
Insect Attack
There are many different types of wood-boring beetles (also known as wood-worm) that attack timber in the UK. The insects that attack the wood will only do so when there is the right environment for them to do this.
Different beetles will attack different types of wood. The most common attacker of wood in the UK is the Common Furniture Beetle and Weevils. These are by far the most common, but although they can be a problem, they are not the most destructive of the wood-boring beetles.
Some species of wood-boring beetles can cause serious structural damage to properties, often destroying timber to the point of collapse. The method of eradicating a wood-boring beetle infestation depends on the type of beetle.
The timber will need to be dried out and the source of moisture eradicated, often this will eradicate the infestation, depending on the type of beetle. Some beetle infestations may require a treatment with a pesticide to save the timber from further decay. Some infestations do not require any treatment.