… And even more on Beetles

During the course of a recent building survey I discovered significant death watch beetle damage that clearly remained active.

Significant Death Watch Beetle damage that clearly remained active.

It is not unusual to find evidence of old infestations. The Beetles – more pertinently the beetle larvae – favour timber with a moisture content above 12% and in a modern centrally heated house the environment tends to be unattractive however, infestations can persist, for example where timbers may retain higher moisture content such as where bedded in external walls. In this particular case the damage was adjacent to a roof valley, not readily visible but was in fact causing damage to an important medieval ‘hammerbeam’ roof. Specialist contractors were consulted and cost estimates prepared to enable an appropriate reduction in the purchase price to be negotiated.