Borer Treatment in the Winter

You may have heard that freezing temperatures can kill wood borers. It is true. Prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures is enough to kill wood borers. However, you cannot just leave wood borers over the winter and hope we will get low enough temperatures to kill them. New Zealand’s climate is primarily temperate. Plus, the temperatures remain mild year-round because most of the island is close to the coast. That can mean we do not get freezing temperatures long enough to kill borers. Instead, it would help if you had borers eliminated before they can begin to breed and thrive again in the spring. Flick’s borer pest control and treatment is the solution.

Borers are wood-eating insects. Their larvae bore holes through the wood interior, then emerge through flight holes when they reach adulthood. Adult beetles lay their eggs in the wood, and the cycle begins again. A freeze can disrupt this cycle, but even freezing temperatures may not be enough to protect your wood. Borers will return to using the same holes to lay eggs.

We begin with an inspection when we come out to handle a borer infestation. We check to see what wood is infested. Then, we do not just apply surface pesticides. Those are ineffective against borers. Instead, we use penetrating treatments below the surface to target larvae. We can also point out when wood has been damaged during the inspection process. For some borer infestations, there may be enough damage to the wood to create a structural danger. In those instances, we suggest replacing wood and also doing a preventative borer treatment.

The treatment is long-lasting. So, once treated, the treatments continue to kill borers as they emerge. Then, they can prevent reinfestation for up to ten years. So, once the wood is treated, it is protected. A freeze does not offer that type of protection.

Why is that protection so important? Wood borers are not just annoying pests. They can do severe damage to your home. Also known as woodworms, they can damage household timbers, furniture, and other wood sources. They can badly damage the wood before you even notice damage on the surface.

They can also attack painted wood. That is relatively unusual for a wood-eating insect. Most of them are less likely to eat painted wood. However, the borer can, and the paint actually helps disguise the damage.

Do not let these destructive pests do damage to your home. Contact Flick and schedule your wood borer extermination for this winter.