Bournemouth · Dorset · South West England
Woodworm Treatment in Bournemouth
Surveyed, guaranteed woodworm treatment for Bournemouth's Victorian and Edwardian villas, period homes and converted flats — where decades-old timber meets coastal humidity.
- Free survey from a local Dorset surveyor
- Honest verdict — active infestation or historic damage
- 30-year guarantee and treatment certificate
Get your free quote
Tell us what you've noticed and where. A local woodworm surveyor will call you back to arrange a free, no-obligation survey.
Woodworm in Bournemouth
Period villas, converted flats and quiet beetle damage
Bournemouth grew almost overnight as a fashionable Victorian and Edwardian seaside resort, and that heritage still shapes its housing. Westbourne, Boscombe and Southbourne are full of large, gabled period villas — generous homes built with original softwood floorboards, deep floor joists and complex roof structures. Much of that timber has now been in service for well over a century, in air that stays humid most of the year thanks to the coast.
That is the quiet problem with woodworm here. The common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) has a three-to-four year lifecycle and leaves only tidy 1–2mm exit holes, so an infestation in a Bournemouth villa can work through joist ends and rafters for years before anyone notices weak boards or a scatter of fine dust. Many of these villas were also subdivided into flats and maisonettes during the twentieth century, and the floor and roof timbers run straight through from one unit to the next — so an infestation rarely stays politely within a single flat.
We treat woodworm across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and out to Ferndown, from clifftop villas in Southbourne to converted flats in Westbourne. Every job starts with a proper survey, because the correct treatment depends entirely on the species, the location of the damage and whether the beetle is still alive in the wood.
Where we find it
The Bournemouth properties most prone to woodworm
After surveying timber across the Dorset coast, the same building types and the same hidden spots come up time and again.
Victorian and Edwardian villas
Large period homes in Westbourne and Southbourne carry original softwood floors and elaborate roofs — over a century of sapwood-rich timber for the furniture beetle to work through.
Converted flats and maisonettes
Villas subdivided into flats share continuous floor and roof joists, so an infestation in one unit can travel into the next through the same run of timber.
Roof spaces and rafters
Complex Edwardian roofs with valleys and dormers are prone to slow leaks. Damp rafters and purlins keep beetle active high up, where damage goes unseen for years.
Suspended timber floors
Original ground-floor boards sit over sub-floor voids. Where air bricks are blocked, joist ends stay damp and become the most vulnerable timber in the property.
Bay windows and clifftop homes
Exposed bays and clifftop properties in Southbourne and Boscombe face wind-driven coastal rain, raising timber moisture and keeping any infestation active for longer.
Loft conversions and extensions
Where new timber meets old in conversions across Poole and Christchurch, untreated original rafters and joists can quietly carry an existing infestation into the new work.
Spot it early
Signs of active woodworm
In a humid coastal town like Bournemouth, it pays to check floor and roof timber each spring, when adult beetles emerge.
- Round exit holes. Tidy 1–2mm holes from the common furniture beetle; pale, sharp-edged holes point to a recent emergence.
- Fresh bore dust (frass). Fine, gritty powder like tiny sawdust piles beneath floorboards, skirting and loft timber — a sign of live activity.
- Weak, crumbling timber. Boards and joist ends that flex, crumble at the edge or sound hollow when tapped — common where sub-floor damp lingers.
- Live or dead beetles. Small brown beetles near windows in spring and summer, or dead ones on sills and in cobwebs.
How we treat it
The right method for period timber
Correct identification decides everything. We match the treatment to the species, the location and the moisture in the wood.
Water-based spray
A water-based permethrin spray is the standard treatment for active furniture beetle in accessible floor and roof timber. It is touch-dry within hours, so most homes are back in use the same day.
Boron paste and gel
For structural timber, joist ends and the awkward corners of period roofs and sub-floors, deep-penetrating boron paste carries the treatment into the heart of the wood.
Damp control and timber repair
Coastal humidity is part of the problem, so we address the damp as well as the beetle. Where damage has gone structural, we splice, resin-repair or replace affected joists and rafters.
Treating in a roof? Bats are legally protected, so we always check before any loft work. Our surveyors work to Property Care Association standards.
How it works
From first call to guaranteed timber
Free Bournemouth survey
A local surveyor visits, identifies the beetle and confirms whether it is active or historic — at no cost to most homeowners.
Targeted treatment
We treat the affected timber with the right method and address the damp behind it, working around tenants and households with minimal disruption.
30-year guarantee
You receive a written certificate and a 30-year guarantee — valuable for sales, surveys and lettings across Bournemouth and Poole.
Across the South West
Woodworm treatment near Bournemouth
Our South West teams cover the wider region. If you are just outside Bournemouth, your nearest team is here.
Woodworm treatment in Exeter
Exeter's historic core and Devon cob-and-timber buildings are a natural home for furniture and death watch beetle.
View Exeter →Woodworm treatment in Bristol
Bristol's Georgian and Victorian terraces, plus harbourside humidity, create ideal conditions for wood-boring beetles.
View Bristol →Woodworm treatment in Plymouth
Plymouth's coastal climate and naval-era housing keep timber damp — and damp timber is where woodworm thrives.
View Plymouth →Service area
Woodworm treatment in Bournemouth & surrounding areas
Our local surveyors cover Bournemouth and the wider Dorset — call us or book online and we will confirm availability for your postcode.
Helpful next steps
Woodworm survey
Free, no-obligation inspection from a qualified surveyor — active or historic, confirmed in writing.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment cost
Transparent 2026 pricing by room, roof and whole house, and what drives the figure.
Learn more →Common furniture beetle
The species behind most Bournemouth infestations — how to recognise it and why it matters.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment
How surveyed, guaranteed eradication works, from spray to boron paste and structural repair.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment in Exeter
Our Devon team for the historic city and surrounding villages to the west.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment in Bristol
South West cover for Georgian crescents, Victorian terraces and harbourside conversions.
Learn more →Bournemouth woodworm questions
Why do Bournemouth's period villas get woodworm?
I own a converted flat in Bournemouth — can one infestation spread?
Is the common furniture beetle the main woodworm in Bournemouth?
How much does woodworm treatment cost in Bournemouth?
Woodworm treatment in Bournemouth — book a free survey
A local Dorset surveyor will inspect your timber, give you an honest verdict and a fixed written quote, backed by a 30-year guarantee.
Request your free survey
Two details to get started.