How to stop woodworm from ruining your pieces

Do not fear — even the worst cases of woodworm in furniture can be treated.

NOT many of us have a full understanding of the ageing process on a piece of elderly furniture. Kept in overheated or humid conditions, moved from one environment to another, the occasional berth in an outbuilding when it falls from stylistic favour — it all puts stress on the joints.

Still, one thing we all recognise without prompting is woodworm. The larvae we erroneously term as worms are larvae of the Anobium punctatum or common furniture beetle. They rely on safe, nutritious surrounds to thrive and the female beetle is on the hunt for a softwood crib from May to September. Left untreated for decades in the right conditions, they can destroy the structural integrity and looks of a nice piece.