Domakihub How to Get Rid of Woodworm in Your Home or Rental
Spot the signs early, treat the timber yourself, and protect your property for years.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 4 min read
Woodworm is one of those problems that hides in plain sight — tiny flight holes and a fine dust trail are often the only clues that beetle larvae are quietly hollowing out your floors, furniture, or roof beams. In Greece's warm, humid summers, holiday rentals and older stone houses are especially vulnerable, because untreated hardwoods and roof timbers can harbour infestations for years before anyone notices. The video above walks through identification and treatment in detail; this article gives you the step-by-step process so you can tackle the problem methodically and protect your investment.
What is woodworm and why does it matter?
Woodworm is the common name for the larvae of wood-boring beetles — most often the Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum). The adult beetle lays eggs in cracks and pores in untreated or poorly finished wood, and the hatched larvae spend one to five years tunnelling through the timber before emerging as adults through the characteristic 1–2 mm exit holes you can see on the surface.
Left untreated, a heavy infestation weakens structural timbers enough to require expensive replacement. In rental properties and hotels, visible holes are also a turn-off for guests and can trigger poor reviews, making early intervention a commercial priority as much as a structural one.
How to tell if an infestation is active
Fresh frass (the fine, powdery bore dust that resembles sawdust) around or below the exit holes is the clearest sign of an active infestation. Old, dry frass that crumbles when touched usually means the beetles have already left. Tap the wood with a screwdriver handle — a hollow, papery sound indicates significant internal damage. In spring and early summer, you may even spot the adult beetles themselves, which look like small brown beetles roughly 3–5 mm long.
In Greek climates, the flight season runs roughly April to September, so this is the best window for confirming active infestations and applying treatment while larvae are near the surface.
5 steps to eliminate woodworm
- 1
Confirm the infestation is active
Look for fresh cream-coloured frass beneath the exit holes and check for recently emerged holes with clean, bright edges rather than discoloured, dusty rims. Only active infestations need chemical treatment — dormant or historic ones may simply need monitoring and a protective finish.
- 2
Prepare the surface
Brush away all loose dust, frass, and flaking finish with a stiff brush. Lightly sand any thickly painted or varnished surfaces to open up the timber pores — woodworm treatment fluid cannot penetrate a sealed surface, so this step is essential for the product to reach the larvae beneath.
- 3
Apply a penetrating woodworm treatment fluid
Use a solvent-based or water-based permethrin or boron-based woodworm killer. Apply generously with a brush, working the fluid into each visible exit hole and saturating the whole surface. For thick timbers or structural beams, use an injector nozzle to push fluid directly into the holes. Work in a well-ventilated space, wear gloves and a mask, and keep the area free of pets and children for at least 24 hours after application.
- 4
Repeat the treatment after 7–10 days
A second coat applied roughly a week after the first ensures the fluid reaches larvae that were deeper in the timber when you first treated it. Many proprietary woodworm products recommend two coats as standard. Allow the timber to dry fully (usually 24–48 hours) between applications.
- 5
Seal and protect with a finishing coat
Once the treatment has dried completely, apply a woodworm-resistant clear varnish, wax, or preservative finish to seal the surface. This locks in the insecticide residual effect, protects against moisture that encourages future infestations, and restores the appearance of the wood. For structural roof timbers, a boron-based preservative paste applied to joints and end-grain gives long-term protection.
Rather have a pro handle it?
Get a vetted pest control pro in your city — one number, booked in EN/EL/DE.
FAQ
- Can I treat woodworm myself or do I need a professional?
- Most domestic infestations in furniture, floorboards, and accessible roof timbers can be treated effectively with off-the-shelf woodworm fluid. A professional pest controller is worth calling if the infestation covers a large area of structural timber, if there is evidence of death-watch beetle (larger holes, ~3 mm), or if you are buying or selling a property and need a formal survey report.
- How long does woodworm treatment take to work?
- The treatment kills larvae on contact and leaves a residual barrier that stops new eggs hatching, but you will not see immediate outward results because larvae already deep in the wood continue to develop for weeks. The real sign of success is the absence of fresh frass and no new flight holes appearing over the next spring season. Allow 12 months before concluding the treatment has fully worked.
- Will woodworm come back after treatment?
- A properly applied treatment with a sealed finish provides protection for several years. However, wood that stays damp or unventilated is always at higher risk, so fix any roof leaks or condensation problems alongside the treatment. In holiday rentals and older Greek houses, an annual visual inspection in spring is the simplest way to catch any re-infestation before it takes hold.