Timber decay and woodworm

What is the difference between common furniture beetle and deathwatch beetle in a survey note?

Common furniture beetle is the usual “woodworm” in softwood, leaving small round flight holes. Deathwatch beetle is associated with damper hardwood, often oak, and is a more serious structural question when it is active. A surveyor who only writes “woodworm” has not said which, and old holes are not the same as a live attack.

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?

The Property Care Association treats timber decay and beetle attack as problems that follow moisture and the type of timber, not as a single spray for every hole. Flight holes can remain for decades after the beetles have gone, especially in sapwood. Fresh bore dust, crumbling timber and a damp source are the clues that something is still happening. A visual survey sees the surface that is exposed. It does not lift every board.

Deathwatch in a damp oak beam is not the same job as old furniture-beetle holes in a dry loft rafter. Ask the surveyor which timber, how damp it was, and whether they saw fresh dust or only historic holes. Treatment without stopping the damp is the outcome the Association warns against. There is no national price for either repair in the RICS consumer guide.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which timber is affected, and is it softwood or a hardwood beam?
Did you see fresh dust, or only old holes?
What moisture did you find at that timber, if any?

What are the typical next steps?

Do not spray a whole loft because one historic hole was reported.
If fresh dust and damp timber coincide, ask a timber specialist to confirm activity before you exchange, if the cost matters.
Fix the leak or the damp that is feeding the timber. The spray is not a roof repair.

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

Are all small holes furniture beetle?

Not always. Other beetles make holes, and some holes are old nail fixings. Looks are not a laboratory identification. Ask if the surveyor is sure.

Does a guarantee from 1990 still cover a new attack?

Only if the paper says so and the company still stands behind it. Read the exclusions. Most old papers do not cover a new leak.