Living in a timber barn conversion - hearing a tapping coming from the beams....

[pollydianasmummy]

Is it a death-watch beetle?!

Seriously, I thought it was a woodpecker tapping a tree in the distance. On investigation the sound is coming from inside a beam. It has been treated for woodworm so I'm surprised to hear it.

I meant to ask, if anyone might know what sort of creature could survive the woodworm treatment.

It's deathwatch beetle. They have just started the mating season so the tapping is them saying 'Come and get me!' to all the other beetles! We live in a timber framed house (very old) and have just started hearing this in the past few days. Apparently it's due to the weather warming up and the beetles getting in the mood!! You need to get it looked at I would think. They like damp wood so check if you've had any leaks or dampness coming in.

Definitely deathwatch beetle.

Do any of your beams look like this ?

Even if the wood in the beams is hardwood but rotted years ago (and is now dry) it may be friable enough due to the rotting for the larvae to eat.

Any softwood that has been put in during the refurbishment will be eaten straight through even if not rotted.

Treat immediately with a firm like Rentokil and have a structural survey done to check the damage has not made the timbers dangerously weak.

Thanks Petalpower - not sure I like the idea of the deathwatch beetle getting jiggy in my beams!

At least I know what it is now - we'll have to get someone to look at it.

I always want to bang on the wall at them and tell them to stop it!! It nearly always happens at night here too (or maybe I just hear them more then!).

IIRC you don't need to spray the beams anymore for deathwatch beetle - there's actually a better new technique which consists of catching and frying the deathwatch beetle as they emerge (which Rentokil etc won't do - it's more specialist, I think).

I think that the SPAB might have a fact sheet on this - or you could try asking on PeriodProperty.co.uk

Thanks for all your answers. I sort of though the death-watch beetle was made-up until yesterday!

It seems the beams were treated 26 years ago when the barn was converted. The company that did it gave us a certificate of warranty for 30 years so I'm going to see if they will come out and re-treat us.... fingers crossed.

Don't panic and start spreading lots of chemicals around. Get in touch with Spab, things have moved on from the spray everything in sight school which obviously does n't get anything except what happens to be sat on the beam at the time.

Aha! Obviously I had remembered the SPAB lecture on deathwatch beetle correctly. Have to admit I thought 'It'll never happen to us' and switched off at that point.