Updated 12 November 2026, with every source rechecked
What does woodworm treatment cost?
What woodworm treatment costs, for Oxford homeowners, buyers and landlords facing a timber report. We set out published national yardsticks with their sources, show how to tell live beetles from old holes, and explain why drying the timber often matters more than spraying it.
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How much does woodworm treatment cost in the UK?
Checkatrade gives a typical woodworm treatment as £500 to £1,000 (June 2024 prices, article updated 9 September 2024), before any survey. Each figure below is another publisher's national average with the date its page carries. None is an Oxford quote or a price from Oxford Damp Specialists.
| Work | What the publisher gives | Source | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodworm survey | From £80 up to £250 | Checkatrade, woodworm guide | June 2024 prices |
| Timber survey (listed in a dry rot price guide) | Commonly £300 (spread £200 to £500) | MyBuilder, dry rot price guide | No date given |
| Typical woodworm treatment | Between £500 and £1,000 | Checkatrade, woodworm guide | June 2024 prices |
| Treating the loft of a three-bedroom home | £400 at the low end, £900 at the top | Checkatrade, woodworm guide | Prices from June 2024 |
| Boron treatment | £30 for every 25 m² | Checkatrade, woodworm guide | Prices from June 2024 |
| Fogging | £500 up to £1,000 | Checkatrade, woodworm guide | June 2024 table |
| Fumigation | £500 up to £1,000 | Checkatrade, woodworm guide | June 2024 table |
| Replacing a joist (listed in a dry rot price guide) | Each joist £250 to £350 | MyBuilder, dry rot price guide | Undated |
| Wet rot repair, if decay turns up too | £500 to £1,000 when minor; £1,000 to £2,500 when moderate | MyBuilder, dry rot price guide | Undated |
Two things drive those numbers: how much timber is treated, and whether any has to come out. A loft spray is one price; replacing joists weakened by beetles and rot is another. The method should follow the beetle and the moisture, never the other way round. Our price for your job is confirmed when you book.
Do old woodworm holes mean the timber still needs treating?
No. Exit holes show that beetles once left the wood, not that any are there now. The Property Care Association guidance on wood-destroying insects says every timber should be checked for current activity before treatment can be justified, and that some show only old activity from beetles long since gone. Signs of life are fresh exit holes or bore dust.
Dr Brian Ridout, writing in the Building Conservation Directory (2005), describes fresh holes as clean and sharp-edged, often with bore dust trickling out. He suggests covering holes with paper, or filling them with polish, so that any new emergence shows. A timber specialist quoted by Which? (11 March 2026) points to bright new holes with fresh tracks or small heaps of frass.
The PCA's woodworm treatment guidance puts proving an active infestation that needs action first. Ridout goes further, saying needless pesticide use must be avoided and that spraying the roofs of Georgian and Victorian buildings just in case is generally unjustifiable. If a quote proposes treating every timber in a loft, ask what evidence of live activity it rests on.
Which woodworm beetle is in my timber, and does it change the cost?
Yes. The species decides whether you need a targeted treatment, several years of follow-up, or simply a drier building.
- Common furniture beetle is, per the PCA, the wood-destroying insect most often found in UK buildings. Its exit holes are roughly 1.5 mm wide and its larvae take 3 to 5 years to develop. A timber specialist quoted by Which? puts it in 75% of properties. The PCA treatment guidance recommends preservatives applied professionally and only where needed.
- Deathwatch beetle prefers decayed hardwoods and leaves holes about 3 mm wide. The PCA advises dealing with moisture, two insecticide applications from April to June, and considering yearly applications for at least four years in a row, so the cost can recur.
- Wood-boring weevil lives only in damp, at least partly decayed timber, and the PCA says stopping the water and the rot is the best way to deal with it.
- House longhorn beetle is likely, says the PCA, to need a long and detailed investigation and then timber repairs.
Oxford sits outside the house longhorn rules. Approved Document A of the Building Regulations asks for roof softwood to be treated against this beetle only in named areas of Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, such as Elmbridge, Woking and Surrey Heath, and Oxfordshire is not among them. A quote that charges for longhorn precautions in an Oxford loft should explain why.
Why is drying the wood often the real cure for woodworm?
Because the beetles that do the worst damage depend on damp, decaying timber. Ridout notes that drier wood slows larval growth, that deathwatch larvae need fungal decay to digest hard heartwood, and that rotting wall plates and joist bearings in damp walls suit the beetle perfectly.
BRE scientists writing on dry rot in historic buildings say decay stops once the wood's moisture content drops below about 20%. That is why a woodworm survey from Oxford Damp Specialists measures moisture in the timber itself, where the RICS damp guide says meters are accurate, and traces any wet joist end back to a gutter, a leaking pipe or a blocked air brick.
In Oxford this matters because so much timber sits in old walls and suspended floors. The council's Technical Advice Note 15 (May 2024) warns against blocking air bricks and ventilation beneath suspended timber floors. Wet timber with beetles often has rot as well, so read our guide on how to tell dry rot from wet rot, and on water getting in through walls, penetrating damp.
How should woodworm in old or listed Oxford timbers be treated?
Conservatively: confirm activity, fix the damp, and treat only the timbers that need it. Ridout argues that most timber in Georgian and Victorian buildings resists furniture beetle, because old-growth timber had little sapwood, while 20th-century plantation timber is more vulnerable. He adds that surface sprays are generally ineffective and can kill natural predators such as spiders, and that light traps can reduce deathwatch numbers once a check for bats has been made.
Listed buildings add a legal step. Oxford has around 1,500 listed buildings, and the city council says listed building consent covers repairs that replace important fabric or use different materials. Cutting out historic beams is exactly the kind of work to check first. On a woodworm treatment job in a listed house, Oxford Damp Specialists records what is historic before anything is removed.
What should a fair woodworm treatment quote include?
A fair quote names the beetle, shows the evidence that it is active, and says what is being done about the moisture. Check that it covers:
- the species, and where live activity was found (fresh holes, bore dust, frass);
- timber moisture readings, the cause of any damp, and the repair to stop it;
- exactly which timbers are treated or replaced, by area or count, rather than the whole property;
- the method and timing, since the PCA says insecticides work best between early spring and late summer, while adults are emerging;
- any follow-up visits, especially for deathwatch.
Compare more than one quote: Which? advises at least three for damp work, and the same logic holds for timber. If you are buying, a timber inspection can sit within a damp survey. For how Oxford Damp Specialists works, see damp and timber work in Oxford.
Common questions
Is it safe to ignore woodworm holes that look old?
If there is no sign of live activity, such as fresh holes or bore dust, treatment is often not justified. Keep the timber dry and look again in spring and summer, when adult beetles emerge.
What time of year suits woodworm treatment best?
Insecticides work best from early spring to late summer, when adults emerge. Fixing the damp that feeds an infestation can start at any time of year.
Does an Oxford loft need house longhorn beetle treatment?
Not under the Building Regulations. The areas named for house longhorn treatment are in Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, and Oxfordshire is not one of them.
What will Oxford Damp Specialists charge to treat woodworm?
Our price is confirmed when you book, after we have seen the timber. The figures on this page are national averages from other publishers. See woodworm treatment for how we work.
Sources for this page
- Woodworm treatment cost. Checkatrade, updated 9 Sep 2024; prices Jun 2024
- Dry rot treatment cost. MyBuilder, undated
- Wood Destroying Insects in Buildings. Property Care Association, May 2016
- Insect Damage to Timber, Dr Brian Ridout. Building Conservation Directory, 2005
- How to treat woodworm, Natalie Turner. Which?, 11 Mar 2026
- Treating woodworm. Property Care Association, © 2024
- Approved Document A, Structure (2004 edn incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments), para 2B2 and Table 1. SpecifiedBy
- Dry Rot and its Treatment in Historic Buildings, Janice Carey and Colin Grant, BRE. Building Conservation Directory, 1999
- Damp and mould, consumer guide. RICS, 16 Jun 2025
- Technical Advice Note 15 Heritage Retrofit Guidance, May 2024. Oxford City Council
- Listed buildings in Oxford. Oxford City Council, page dated 12 Dec 2023
- Listed building consent. Oxford City Council, page dated 12 Dec 2023
- How much does it cost to repair damp?, Adam Snook. Which?, 5 May 2026
Before you call
A few details let us narrow down the likely cause on the phone.
- Postcode and the rough age of the building
- Which rooms and walls, and how far up
- Whether wet weather or cold snaps change it
- Where any mould is growing
- Owner, tenant or buyer, and any deadline
Want someone to look at it? Our damp proofing in Oxford page sets out what we survey, what we repair and where we work.
The work this guide touches on
Woodworm and rot treatment
Flight holes in an old joist can be long dead: we prove woodworm or rot is active and find the water before treating anything.
Damp surveys
Before you exchange, accept a retention or agree to injection work, find out where the water in that Oxford wall is really coming from.
Other guides
How much does damp proofing cost?
Damp proofing prices swing from a modest survey fee to thousands for a new damp course, and the right diagnosis decides which one you pay.
What does basement tanking cost?
Oxford's water table sits close beneath many cellars, so a tanking bill turns on where water comes from and how dry the room must be.
Why is there condensation in my bedroom?
Wet glass at dawn and black spots behind the wardrobe: why bedrooms condense worst, and the heating and airflow changes that stop it.
Dry rot or wet rot: how do you tell them apart?
Strands creeping over brickwork or a soft joist end: how to read the signs of rot, and why the water decides the repair.
Awaab's Law explained: deadlines for fixing damp and mould
Named after a two-year-old whose death was caused by mould exposure, Awaab's Law sets repair deadlines that private renters are still waiting for.
Damp in old and listed buildings: what is safe to do?
Stone, soft brick and lime walls need to dry out, and the wrong fix, or work done without consent, can leave an Oxford house damper.
Shall we call you instead?
Your name, number and the property postcode are all we need. A sentence about the room and the wall makes the first call quicker. Or ring 01865 537413.