Hello happy builders,
(--- No special characters on this computer, aao means aao sometimes...)
A really big worry has come up... Should one protect a brand-new fresh house against house borer and other terrible wood-gnawing insects? Euh, one _should_ right...?
A little background info:
- Live and build a new house in France, just outside Geneva. (Yep, soon car show.)
- Have a prefabricated panel house from the homeland Finland. (Mansard roof, 2v + basement)
- Exterior panel already primed in factory (Yellow).
- No treatment of the spruce wood as far as I know. House borer is apparently quite unusual in Finland. Lucky for you back home.
- There are "protection in a can" sold here, can be brushed or sprayed on the wood, but the wood must be untreated.
- Labor down here is _insanely expensive_ to say the least...
- House borer is called "Capricorne" in French. (The chapter of unnecessary knowledge perhaps.)
We might still be able to access "most" of the rafters. That is probably the thickest lumber we have in the house.
I've heard that house borer "only" attacks thick wood (approx. 5cm * 10cm minimum.) Is that true? Or do you have to treat _all_ wood, including the boards in the exterior panel? Then we would have to sand off the primer on all the boards, treat, and paint again... (According to the French "treatment product can" you can only treat directly on untreated wood...) Brr... And what about the structural wood _inside_ the panels, behind the gypsum boards? Sigh...?!? And the battens for the roof tiles above the sealing layer? Oh dear...
...I've searched a bit on the forum (and googled like crazy) and Anticimex (in Sweden) seems to be able to "gas" a house that has been infested? Can this also be done preventatively? How can the "gas" penetrate the wood? Does A.c. do home visits in France?
Can't describe how enormously frustrating it feels to "ponder" this _now_ when the house is erected and we're fixing & doing things. Should have thought this through properly _before_ contacting the construction companies. Aargh. :-[
Very grateful for tips and advice. Really hope someone can come with good news. Soon having mild panic. Apparently, the house borer "swarms" down here in June, so for now, we have a healthy house, but... "Tick, tock, tick, tock..."
Have a nice weekend, Magnus
P.S. Finland - Sweden in the Olympic final...! Incredible. It's a shame both can't win. I don't care so much who wins, both countries will get an Olympic medal anyway!
(--- No special characters on this computer, aao means aao sometimes...)
A really big worry has come up... Should one protect a brand-new fresh house against house borer and other terrible wood-gnawing insects? Euh, one _should_ right...?
A little background info:
- Live and build a new house in France, just outside Geneva. (Yep, soon car show.)
- Have a prefabricated panel house from the homeland Finland. (Mansard roof, 2v + basement)
- Exterior panel already primed in factory (Yellow).
- No treatment of the spruce wood as far as I know. House borer is apparently quite unusual in Finland. Lucky for you back home.
- There are "protection in a can" sold here, can be brushed or sprayed on the wood, but the wood must be untreated.
- Labor down here is _insanely expensive_ to say the least...
- House borer is called "Capricorne" in French. (The chapter of unnecessary knowledge perhaps.)
We might still be able to access "most" of the rafters. That is probably the thickest lumber we have in the house.
I've heard that house borer "only" attacks thick wood (approx. 5cm * 10cm minimum.) Is that true? Or do you have to treat _all_ wood, including the boards in the exterior panel? Then we would have to sand off the primer on all the boards, treat, and paint again... (According to the French "treatment product can" you can only treat directly on untreated wood...)
Brr... And what about the structural wood _inside_ the panels, behind the gypsum boards? Sigh...?!? And the battens for the roof tiles above the sealing layer? Oh dear......I've searched a bit on the forum (and googled like crazy) and Anticimex (in Sweden) seems to be able to "gas" a house that has been infested? Can this also be done preventatively? How can the "gas" penetrate the wood? Does A.c. do home visits in France?
Can't describe how enormously frustrating it feels to "ponder" this _now_ when the house is erected and we're fixing & doing things. Should have thought this through properly _before_ contacting the construction companies. Aargh.
:-[Very grateful for tips and advice. Really hope someone can come with good news. Soon having mild panic. Apparently, the house borer "swarms" down here in June, so for now, we have a healthy house, but... "Tick, tock, tick, tock..."
Have a nice weekend, Magnus
P.S. Finland - Sweden in the Olympic final...! Incredible. It's a shame both can't win. I don't care so much who wins, both countries will get an Olympic medal anyway!
The house longhorn beetle primarily attacks large structural timber, especially roof beams and possibly wall studs on the south side. The best way to protect your house is to ensure that the little critter doesn't get in. It's therefore important to install insect protection/screens and ensure there are no gaps where the beetle can enter. I think it might also be wise to use the product you mentioned on the roof beams that you can access.
Oh, preferably on the southern side. And especially under dark roofs. It seems to like the warmth. Apparently, boracol is used as protection against the house longhorn beetle.
The house longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus)
Occurs in roof structures, often with dark cladding. Can spread to the timber in the whole house and to neighboring properties.
http://www.lavtox.se/ins025.htm
The house longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus)
Occurs in roof structures, often with dark cladding. Can spread to the timber in the whole house and to neighboring properties.
http://www.lavtox.se/ins025.htm
Hello and thank you for your responses!
Faidros: I'm afraid that the insurance companies down here do not insure against house longhorn beetles and similar, it wouldn't surprise me. (They often seem to reason: What if there was a damage and the customer uses the insurance, then it would be expensive for the company! -No, we don't have such insurances...) :
But I'll check if there is any insurance against pest insects. (The houses down here are often made of concrete, but they often have "juicy" roof beams, so maybe...)
Immobil: Yes, we probably need to treat the rafters/roof beams. And we must try to seal most of the "holes" in the construction. But take, for example, all the small gaps between the roof tiles. You'll probably never get them completely "house longhorn beetle-proof"...? Then we might need to treat the roof battens as well.
Wall studs facing south? Ok, that sounds a bit scary too. Since it's warmer down here, maybe all the studs "feel" warm to the pest?
"Occurs in roof structures, usually with dark cladding. Can spread to the wood in the entire house and to neighboring properties."
...Does that mean the house longhorn beetle can settle for wall paneling if nothing better is offered? Brr. :-/
Any more good tips and advice?
Have a nice Sunday!
Best regards,
Magnus
Faidros: I'm afraid that the insurance companies down here do not insure against house longhorn beetles and similar, it wouldn't surprise me. (They often seem to reason: What if there was a damage and the customer uses the insurance, then it would be expensive for the company! -No, we don't have such insurances...) :
But I'll check if there is any insurance against pest insects. (The houses down here are often made of concrete, but they often have "juicy" roof beams, so maybe...)
Immobil: Yes, we probably need to treat the rafters/roof beams. And we must try to seal most of the "holes" in the construction. But take, for example, all the small gaps between the roof tiles. You'll probably never get them completely "house longhorn beetle-proof"...? Then we might need to treat the roof battens as well.
Wall studs facing south? Ok, that sounds a bit scary too. Since it's warmer down here, maybe all the studs "feel" warm to the pest?
"Occurs in roof structures, usually with dark cladding. Can spread to the wood in the entire house and to neighboring properties."
...Does that mean the house longhorn beetle can settle for wall paneling if nothing better is offered? Brr. :-/
Any more good tips and advice?
Have a nice Sunday!
Best regards,
Magnus
Yes, down in France the conditions are different.
In English, it seems to be called "Old house borer" and "House longhorn beetle".
I wonder if capricorne isn't just a general term for beetle. Have you tried googling "Capricorne des maisons"?magnusbjork said:
In English, it seems to be called "Old house borer" and "House longhorn beetle".
I wonder if capricorne might be a beetle in general. Have you tried googling "Capricorne des maisons"?Faidros said:
In English, it seems to be called "Old house borer" and "House longhorn beetle".[/quote]
Yep, that's right. I've searched for it. (Among others.) Thanks for the answer.
Regards, Magnus