Timber decay and woodworm
Fresh-looking flight holes are in the sapwood of one joist end, and the heartwood beside them is solid. Why has that not ordered a spray of the whole house?
Holes in the sapwood of one joist end have not ordered a spray of the whole house. The survey saw fresh-looking flight holes in that sapwood, with the heartwood beside them still solid. That is a local note at one bearing. It is not a map of active attack through the floors, and it is not a specification for chemical treatment of every timber. The survey has not probed the rest of the house, has not found frass everywhere, and has not instructed a spray. One softwood end is not a whole-house infestation.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Common furniture beetle leaves flight holes, and it prefers sapwood. Fresh-looking holes at one joist end, next to heartwood that is still firm, tell you where to look harder. They do not tell you that every board, stair and roof timber is infested, and they do not, by themselves, mean a spray contractor should treat rooms that were never examined. The inspection recorded the end it could see. Treatment, if any, follows a timber specialist's view of how far activity actually goes.
Ask a timber specialist to look at that joist end and at a sensible sample of other timbers before anyone proposes a whole-house spray. Tell the solicitor the report has not ordered treatment. The survey has not said the joist must be cut out and has not said the heartwood is affected. Do not arrange spraying of furnished rooms on the strength of one end. Until the extent is looked at, the note stays where the holes were seen.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the note limited to sapwood holes at one joist end?
- Was the heartwood beside those holes firm where you tested it?
- Have you stopped short of specifying a whole-house spray?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the holes as a local sapwood note at one joist end.
- Ask a timber specialist how far any activity actually extends.
- Do not commission a whole-house spray from this note alone.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the holes look very fresh, does the whole floor need spraying?
Fresher-looking holes still only describe the end that was seen. The survey has not found attack across the floor and has not ordered a spray. Extent is what a specialist still has to judge. The home survey itself did not pursue this freshholes question any further than the visit.
Does solid heartwood mean there is no beetle at all?
It means the heartwood beside the holes was solid where checked. It does not erase the flight holes in the sapwood, and it does not prove the rest of the house is clear. The survey did not inspect every timber.