Melbourne wide, 7 days Termite, rodent and possum specialists Written quote before any work
CALL 7 DAYS0489303099
Wood borer specialists, Melbourne wide

Borer Treatment Melbourne | Wood Borer Inspection and Control

Pest Shield technician checking borer exit holes and frass in baltic pine floorboards
Furniture beetle and small exit holes in timber
Borer treatment, Melbourne
Active or old holes?We check before we treat

Tiny holes and fine dust on floorboards or furniture? Our borer treatment Melbourne team confirms wood borer activity and treats the timber. Call 0489303099.

  • Floorboards, sub floor timber and furniture
  • Active borer confirmed before any treatment
  • Assessment from $200, quoted in writing
Call 0489303099
Quote in writing before any workLicensed technicians7 days
Active or old?We confirm live borer before recommending any treatment
Timber focusedFloorboards, bearers, joists, stairs and furniture
Quoted before we startAssessment from $200, and the price in writing before any work
Melbourne wide, 7 daysInner city, bayside and every outer suburb in the metro area
Book a borer inspection

Get a free borer treatment quote

Tell us where you see holes or dust and how old the home is. A technician calls back and books a time that suits you.

  • What will it cost?A borer assessment starts from $200, and treatments are quoted in writing before any work.
  • Are my holes active?Fresh, pale holes and fine powder below them usually mean active borer. Dark holes are often old.
  • Is my floor safe?Most borer damage is surface deep. Soft or spongy boards need a closer look, and we check them.
  • Do you cover my suburb?Yes, all of metropolitan Melbourne, from Werribee to Pakenham and Craigieburn to Mornington.

Get a free borer quote

Two minutes. We call you back to book.

Pest Shield Quote Form

We service all of metropolitan Melbourne, for example Doncaster, Werribee, Frankston and Craigieburn.

Quoted before any workPhotos welcome7 days
Quick answer

What is borer treatment?

Borer treatment protects timber from wood boring beetle larvae, which tunnel inside floorboards, framing and furniture for years before emerging as adults through small round exit holes. The first step is always a borer inspection to confirm the activity is current, because many older Melbourne homes have old holes from beetles that died out decades ago.

Where borer is active, we treat the affected timber with a product that soaks into the wood and kills larvae as they tunnel and adults as they emerge. In a sub floor, that means treating bearers, joists and the underside of floorboards. Inside, it means floorboards, stairs, skirting or furniture. Badly weakened timber may need a carpenter to replace it, and we tell you if that is the case.

Wood borer at a glance

Most common in MelbourneFurniture beetle
What it attacksPine floors, framing, furniture
Exit holesRound, about 1 to 2 mm
Active signFine, gritty powder below holes
Adults emergeLate spring and summer
Larvae liveInside the timber for years
Assessment and reportFrom $200
Localised treatmentFrom $450, written quote first
Is it borer?

Signs of wood borer in your home

Borer damage is easy to spot once you know what to look for. The question is whether it is still active.

1

Small round holes

Neat round holes, about 1 to 2 mm, in floorboards, furniture or framing.

2

Fine powder

Little piles of gritty powder, called frass, below the holes or between boards.

3

Pale, fresh holes

Clean, light coloured holes that look new, rather than dark and dirty.

4

Beetles in summer

Small brown beetles on windowsills in late spring and summer.

5

Soft timber

Boards or edges that crumble when pressed with a screwdriver.

6

Old furniture

Holes in antique or second hand pine furniture brought into the home.

7

Sub floor damage

Holes and dust on bearers and joists under the house.

8

Damp sub floor

Moist, poorly vented sub floors, which borer prefer.

Know your borer

Furniture beetle and other wood borer types

Different borers attack different timbers. Identifying yours tells us how serious it is and how to treat it.

Furniture beetle and small exit holes in timber
Most common

Furniture beetle

Anobium punctatum

What it attacks
Softwoods such as baltic pine floorboards, pine framing and old furniture.
Where
Older Melbourne homes, especially with damp or poorly vented sub floors.
What it means
Slow but steady damage over many years if left untreated.
Old timber riddled with borer exit holes

Powderpost beetle

Lyctus species

What it attacks
The sapwood of hardwoods, including some floorboards, stairs and furniture.
Signs
Very fine, flour like powder and tiny round holes.
What it means
Usually limited to the sapwood edges, but can weaken thin timber.
Old timber riddled with borer exit holes
Active borer confirmed first
Borer pest control

How our borer pest control works

Borer pest control starts with a proper inspection. We check the holes, look for fresh frass, probe the timber for soundness and inspect the sub floor, where most furniture beetle activity starts. You get a clear report on whether the borer is active, how far it has spread and what we recommend.

If treatment is needed, we apply a timber treatment by brush or spray to the affected bearers, joists and boards, or inject it into holes in furniture and trims. We also point out damp and ventilation problems, because dry, well ventilated timber is far less attractive to borer.

  • Borer inspection first
  • Sub floor bearers and joists
  • Floorboards and stairs
  • Furniture and trims
  • Written report
  • Damp and ventilation advice
Call 0489303099

Found borer holes? Do not panic, and do not fill them yet.

Many borer holes are decades old. Filling or sanding them hides the evidence we use to tell active from old. Leave them, sweep up any dust so fresh frass shows, and book an inspection.

Call 0489303099
How it works

Borer treatment in four steps

Our borer treatment Melbourne visits follow the same four steps.

Call or send the form

Tell us where the holes and dust are.

Borer inspection

Timber, sub floor and furniture checked.

Report and quote

Active or old, and what we recommend.

Treat

Affected timber treated, damp issues noted.

Pricing

Borer treatment cost in Melbourne

Clear starting prices, so you know what to expect before you book. The final price depends on how much timber is affected, and you get it in writing first.

Assessment and report

Borer inspection of the home and sub floor with a written report

Starting from
$200inc GST

Final price confirmed in writing

Most booked

Localised treatment

One room of floorboards, a staircase or several pieces of furniture

Starting from
$450inc GST

Final price confirmed in writing

Subfloor treatment

Bearers, joists and the underside of floorboards across the sub floor

Starting from
$900inc GST

Final price confirmed in writing

These are starting prices. Your final price depends on the factors below. We confirm it in writing before any work starts, and nothing goes ahead until you approve it.

What sets your final borer treatment price

  1. How far it has spread. One room of boards is quicker than the whole sub floor.
  2. Sub floor access. Low or tight sub floors take longer to treat properly.
  3. Type of borer. Furniture beetle and powderpost beetle are treated differently.
  4. Furniture. Individual pieces are treated by injection, priced per item.
  5. Timber condition. Badly weakened timber may need a carpenter first.
  6. Other pests. Termites found during the inspection are quoted separately.
Your questions first

Is borer serious, and will the treatment last?

The two questions people ask before booking borer treatment.

How serious it is

Furniture beetle works slowly, so most homes have time to treat before timber is weakened. Soft or crumbling boards need checking sooner.

Borer is not the same as termites, but a borer inspection often finds termite risks too, and we tell you if we see any.

How long it lasts

The timber treatment stays in the wood and protects it for years where it stays dry.

The treatment is covered by written warranty terms on your job record, explained before you agree.

Service areas

Borer treatment across Melbourne

Borer pest control Melbourne wide, from Victorian and Edwardian homes in the inner suburbs to post war weatherboards further out. These are some of the suburbs we visit most.

Do you service my suburb?

Looking for borer treatment near you? Type your suburb or postcode, or tap any suburb and we fill it into the form for you.

North

West

East

South East

Bayside and South

Inner Melbourne

FAQs

Borer treatment questions, answered

Cost, active holes and borer versus termites. Ask us anything else directly.

Call 0489303099
How much does borer treatment cost in Melbourne?

A borer assessment and report starts from $200, a localised treatment from $450, and a full subfloor treatment from $900. The final price depends on how much timber is affected, and you get it in writing before we start.

How do I know if borer is still active?

Fresh, pale holes and small piles of fine powder below them usually mean active borer. Sweep the area and check again after a few weeks; new powder points to live larvae.

Is wood borer the same as termites?

No. Wood borer are beetles whose larvae tunnel through timber and leave round exit holes. Termites are social insects that hollow timber from inside and use mud leads. Both need a professional check.

Can I treat furniture beetle myself?

Small pieces of furniture can be treated with a borer product from a hardware store, but floors and sub floors need a professional borer treatment to reach all the timber.

Do I need a borer inspection before buying a house?

Older Melbourne homes with pine floors often have borer holes. A borer inspection tells you whether they are active and what treatment might cost.

Is there borer pest control near me?

We cover all of metropolitan Melbourne, 7 days a week. Put your suburb in the form or use the suburb checker on this page and we confirm when we call.

Borer holes in your timber? Let us check them.

Tell us where you see holes or dust. We call back, book an inspection and quote in writing before any work starts.

Call 0489303099
Call now
Scroll to Top