Every house uses timber in its construction or decoration and while it can last a long time, it is dead material; nature has various methods of making it decay unless it is maintained.

The Subterranean termites are the most common type of termite, and have been estimated to cause over 90% of all termite damage in the USA. These termites lDry rot (Serpula lacrymans) will only affect timber that is damp, typically affecting timber with moisture content in excess of 20%. For this reason, removing the source of moisture should form the core of any dry rot
eradication strategy.

Dry-rot fungus is often thought of as a building cancer, rampaging through buildings rapidly destroying any timber in its path. The fungus, which thrives in moist unventilated conditions, will penetrate brickwork to get to additional timber and can cause widespread destruction of structural timbers, skirting boards, doorframes, and wood flooring.

In short, the fungus can be thought of as 'living in masonry and eating wood'. The fungus thrives in damp unventilated conditions. It can occur in the areas of a property that are not often seen, such as floor voids or behind timber paneling. Damage can be extensive before the attack is discovered.

What to look for:
Initially the fungus appears as an off white felt or cotton wool like sheets on the brickwork or timber. Where the fungus is exposed to light it often has a lemon-yellowish tinge, in the later stages it can develop fungal strands as thick as a finger.

Damage is often confined to the timber but large flat mushroom-like fruiting bodies can easily grow through the plaster or paint. These fruiting bodies may be the first visible sign of a problem and produce numerous spores, normally brick red in color.

Entirely dry-rot decayed timber can be crumbled between your fingers. The fungus leaves deep cracks running across the grain of the timber and there is often evidence of off-white sheets of the fungus in the immediate area.

Treatment:
The term dry rot came from the belief that the fungus is able to transport moisture from a source many feet away to attack dry wood. In fact the fungus can transport moisture over several feet and sometimes even from adjoining properties.

Treating dry rot can involve removal of the affected timber (including all timber for at least 3ft beyond the visible signs of the fungus), followed by extensive chemical fungicide treatments for all adjacent timbers and brickwork of any contaminated walls and plaster. However, this approach is expensive and unnecessary.

The modern approach is to use environmental controls, such as isolation and ventilation, which ensure that the damp unventilated conditions required by dry rot do not occur. The techniques are simple ways to ensure that the timbers in a property do not become damp enough for dry rot to attack. Replacement doorframes should have a strip of damp-proof membrane around the outside, to fully isolate them from moisture or potentially damp brickwork.

Wet Rot ( Coniophora puteana) is basically the timber decaying naturally in the presence of high levels of moisture. There is almost always a structural defect causing the problem, it may be that the wall adjacent to the timber is suffering from damp, or water collecting on the timber. Any structural problem must be tackled at the same time as the timber is treated otherwise the problem is likely to reoccur. The problem may just be damaged paint finish on the timber allowing the actual wood to absorb excessive moisture. Damage is normally limited to the timber, although the original structural problem may also cause other areas to be affected by damp such as plaster or decorations.

What to look for:
Check vulnerable areas of timber, such as window and doorframes for signs of rot. The bottoms of frames are more susceptible to rot where water can collect. If the paint finish is damaged, this can increase the risk of wet rot. However, although the paint may look sound, the timber underneath may be rotting from the back. You will often see a professional surveyor/inspector push a thin bladed knife into painted timber frames, the blade should stop after a very short distance; if it goes in up to the handle, it is a almost certainly a sign of rot behind the paint. Timber in the roof can also be at risk especially where there is roof damage allowing rainwater to run onto the roof timbers.

Prevention:

• Ensure that all external timbers are adequately painted to protect the timber from absorbing moisture
• Ensure a Damp Proof Course correctly fitted.
• Make sure that any soil and other debris is cleared away from around the bottom of timber frames.
• Check the roof space for the ingress of water.

The Woodworm is more common in the UK and Europe and can cause as much damage as the Termite in the USA.

The Woodworm will eat into the wood digesting the wood in its stomach and expelling the mulch extract from its rear allowing it to continue moving forward. The woodworm lives as its name and nourishes itself in the wood. It will die if no more wood is available or if the wood is treated with chemical prevention contaminating its food source.

Woodworm Identification

Woodworm can be identified by the holes on the surface of the wood. The holes are the exit holes of the Woodworm Beetle in search of new wood and to continue mating. When exit holes are visible Larvae Beetle have by this time already caused considerable damage beneath the surface. There are a number of species of woodworm and the precise method of treatment will depend on which species is attacking the timber.

By far the most common species of woodworm in the UK is the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium Punctatum) This species can be identified by the small round holes left on the surface of the wood approx 1.5mm - 2mm diameter together with the gritty bore dust that it leaves behind showing up as lemon shaped pellets under magnification.

Treatment

The treatment of the common furniture beetle is fairly straightforward. Any structurally weakened timber should be removed and replaced with pre treated timber. All surfaces of the effected timber should be then sprayed with an appropriate government approved woodworm treatment solution.

The main problem encountered when treating woodworm is identifying the species involved and deciding whether the infestation is still active. Other types of woodworm common to the UK and Europe include,

• The Deathwatch Beetle (Xestobium Rufuvillsum)
• The House Longhorn Beetle (Hylotropes Bajulus)
• The Powder Post Beetle (Lyctus Brunneus)