Treatment Methods
Woodworm Treatment Methods
There are four ways professionals treat wood-boring beetle. The right one depends on the species, how active it is and how easily we can reach the timber — and that is what a free survey decides.
- Four proven methods — spray, boron paste, fogging, repair
- The survey chooses the method, not a sales script
- Every job backed by a 30-year guarantee
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Tell us what you've noticed and where. A local woodworm surveyor will call you back to arrange a free, no-obligation survey.
One job, the right tools
Four methods, matched to your timber
Most homeowners assume woodworm treatment means one thing: spraying. In practice, a good treatment plan uses the method — or combination of methods — that suits the beetle, the timber and the damage in front of us. The common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum), responsible for around three quarters of UK cases, leaves neat 1–2mm holes in softwood and usually responds well to a surface spray. Death watch beetle in old oak, or house longhorn in roof timber, is a very different problem and may need paste and structural work.
That is why we never quote a method down the phone. A free survey comes first, every time — so the treatment fits the timber, not the other way round. Below, each method is explained in full on its own page.
The four methods
How each treatment works, and when we use it
Tap through to a full guide for each method, including how it is applied, drying times and safety.
Water-based permethrin
Insecticidal spray treatment
The standard professional treatment. A water-based permethrin spray is applied to accessible bare timber — floor joists, roof rafters, floorboards — to kill emerging adult beetles and treat the surface layers where larvae feed close to the surface. Low odour, touch-dry in hours.
Best for: Active common furniture beetle in accessible, sound softwood timber.
Read the full method →Deep-penetrating boron
Boron gel & paste
A thicker boron-based gel or paste that diffuses deep into the timber over weeks rather than sitting on the surface. Ideal for joist ends bedded into damp masonry, heavy structural sections and timber you cannot fully spray. Very low odour and water-based.
Best for: Joist ends, structural beams, damp timber and hard-to-reach sections.
Read the full method →Fogging & ULV
Fumigation & whole-property
Targeted fogging and whole-property approaches for widespread infestations, or where furniture and fitted timber make surface spraying impractical. Used less often than spray or paste, and always after a survey confirms it is the right call for the situation.
Best for: Widespread or repeat infestations where spray access is limited.
Read the full method →Splice, resin & replace
Structural timber repair
When beetle damage — usually death watch or house longhorn — has gone beyond the surface and weakened the timber, treatment alone is not enough. We splice in new timber, use resin repairs or replace affected joists, rafters and beams, then protect the new and surrounding wood.
Best for: Timber that has lost structural strength and needs repair, not just treating.
Read the full method →The survey decides
Four things that determine your treatment
No reputable firm recommends a method before seeing the timber. These are the factors a qualified surveyor weighs up before putting anything in writing.
The species
Common furniture beetle in sound softwood is usually a spray job. Death watch beetle in old oak, or house longhorn in roof timber, often needs paste and structural work.
How active it is
Genuinely active infestations need treating. Historic, long-dead damage may need nothing more than monitoring — which is why honest identification matters.
Access to the timber
Open joists and bare rafters take a spray well. Boxed-in, plastered or buried timber often calls for paste or, occasionally, fogging.
Damp and decay
Wood-boring weevil and damp-driven attack mean the underlying moisture must be fixed first, or the beetle simply returns.
Whatever the method
The same standards on every job
However your timber is treated, the process and the protections stay the same.
- A free, no-obligation survey and honest identification before any work is quoted
- A fixed written quote — no surprises once the work begins
- Treatments applied to UK and PCA-aligned standards by trained technicians
- Most homes treated in a single day, with timber touch-dry in hours
- A written treatment certificate and a 30-year guarantee on treated timber
Treatment standards are overseen by bodies including the Property Care Association. For historic or listed timber, Historic England publishes guidance on sympathetic repair.
Keep reading
Woodworm Treatment
The full overview of surveyed, guaranteed woodworm treatment for UK homes.
Learn more →Woodworm Survey
How a free survey confirms the species and decides the right method.
Learn more →Woodworm Treatment Cost
What each method costs by room, roof and whole house.
Learn more →Insecticidal Spray
The standard water-based permethrin spray for accessible timber.
Learn more →Boron Gel & Paste
Deep-penetrating treatment for joist ends and structural timber.
Learn more →Structural Timber Repair
Splicing, resin repair and replacement when damage has gone structural.
Learn more →Frequently asked questions
Which woodworm treatment method is best?
How does a surveyor decide which treatment I need?
Are professional woodworm treatments safe once dry?
How long do these treatments last?
Get rid of woodworm — for good
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