I bought my 17th century timber framed cottage in August 2006. The survey highlighted the property had some active woodworm and evidence of death watch beetle holes.
Being totally naieve about deathwatch beetle I simply arranged for a company to come treat the property along with fixing the damp problem at the same time.
Fast forward to March 2007 and I could hear some scratching noise in the loft at night. I suspected mice so put traps up there and guess what - I never caught a mouse. The scratching continued until early June. As the house was in turmoil with renovation, I didnt notice the death watch beetles around the property.
A year passes and in March 2008 the annoying night-time scratching resumes. This time I investigate since the house is no longer in chaos and layered with building dust. My suspicions are aroused as I notice the frass (dust when woodworm exit the wood) and the occassional insect lying around the house. So off I go and contact the company that did the wood treatment. And here is where my journey starts I inadvertedly become a bit of an expert on deathwatch beetles.
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