Tell us what you have noticed. A licensed technician replies with a clear written price.
- Reply within business hours
- Price in writing before work
- Kids and pets safety plan
Borer Treatment Melbourne | Wood Borer Found and Treated
Tiny holes and dust in your floorboards? We provide borer treatment Melbourne wide, same day, from inspection to subfloor spray. Call 0401 042 325 for a free quote.
- Licensed techniciansEvery job done by a licensed pest technician
- Written quote firstThe price in writing before any work starts
- Same day serviceCall before midday, treated the same day
- Kids and pets planClear safety steps before we treat
Borer inspection and report from $200, localised treatment from $450, inc GST.
Get a borer treatment quote
Tell us where you have found the holes or dust, and your suburb. We reply with a time and a price.
Our technicians on real Melbourne jobs
Clips from real jobs by the same technicians who carry out our borer inspections.
Tap to play video
Borer treatment cost in Melbourne
Starting prices for a standard job. The final price depends on how much timber is affected, whether the borer is still active, and how easy the subfloor is to get into. You get the price in writing before any work starts.
- Assessment and reportBorer inspection of the home and sub floor with a written report.from$200inc GST
- Localised treatmentMost bookedOne room of floorboards, a staircase or several pieces of furniture.from$450inc GST
- Subfloor treatmentBearers, joists and the underside of floorboards across the sub floor.from$900inc GST
What is borer treatment?
Borer treatment is finding beetle larvae that are eating timber in your home, confirming they are still active, and treating the affected floorboards, furniture or subfloor timber so the damage stops.
Our borer treatment Melbourne service starts with a borer inspection, because many old borer holes are decades old and no longer active. If the borer is live, we treat the timber with a registered timber insecticide and fix the damp conditions that let it thrive. Most homes need a localised treatment, not the whole house.
- Assessment and reportFrom $200 inc GST.
- Localised treatmentFrom $450 inc GST.
- Subfloor treatmentFrom $900 inc GST.
- WhenSame day quotes across Melbourne when you call before midday.
How to tell if you have wood borer
Borer larvae live inside the timber for years, so you rarely see the beetle itself. You see what it leaves behind.
Small round holes
Borer holes about 1 to 2 mm across in floorboards, skirting, stairs or furniture.
Fine dust or pellets
Little piles of powder or gritty pellets, called frass, under the holes or between boards.
Fresh holes in summer
New, clean edged holes appear when adult beetles come out in late spring and summer.
Soft or crumbly timber
Boards that feel soft underfoot or break up at the edges when pressed with a screwdriver.
Damp subfloor timber
Bearers and joists in a damp, poorly ventilated subfloor are where furniture beetle does most harm.
Small brown beetles
Tiny brown beetles on window sills in summer, usually near infested timber.
Furniture beetle and lyctid borer
Furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) is the wood borer we find most in Melbourne homes. It attacks seasoned softwood, especially old pine floorboards, and likes damp, cool subfloors. The larvae tunnel for two to three years before the adults chew out through small round holes, leaving gritty frass behind. It spreads slowly through floors, stairs and old furniture.
Lyctid borer, also called powderpost beetle, attacks the sapwood of hardwood timber that still holds starch, often in newer timber in the first years after it is milled. It leaves a fine powder like flour. The damage stays in the sapwood, but it can spoil floors, mouldings and furniture.
The two are treated differently, which is why we confirm which borer it is before quoting.
Furniture beetle, lyctid borer or termites?
Borer damage and termite damage need very different treatments. This is how our technicians tell them apart.
| What to look at | Furniture beetle | Lyctid borer | Termites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timber attacked | Old softwood such as pine floorboards | Sapwood of newer hardwood | Almost any timber, often hidden |
| Holes | Round, 1 to 2 mm | Round, about 1 mm | No exit holes |
| Dust | Gritty, sandy pellets | Fine powder like flour | Mud packed into the timber |
| Timber surface | Holes on the surface | Holes on the surface | Surface intact, timber hollow inside |
| What to book | Borer treatment | Borer treatment | Termite inspection |
Why it matters which one you have
People often find borer holes and fear the worst. Borer damage is slow and usually local: one room of floorboards, a staircase or a piece of furniture. Termites are a different problem. They eat timber from the inside, leave mud behind and no exit holes, and can damage a house quickly. The photo shows termite damaged timber found behind a wall lining, which looks nothing like borer holes.
A borer inspection checks for both. If we find termite activity instead of borer, we tell you straight away and book the right treatment, so you are not paying to treat the wrong pest.
What to do before we inspect
Old borer holes are common in Melbourne homes built before the 1960s and many are no longer active. Before you pull up floors or throw out furniture, let a technician check whether the borer is live.
Call 0401 042 325- Do not sand or fill the holes yet
- Leave any dust where it is so we can see if it is fresh
- Note which rooms and pieces of furniture are affected
- Check the subfloor vents are not blocked
- Keep infested furniture away from other timber
How our wood borer treatment works
Every job starts with an inspection and ends with advice, so the borer does not come back to the same timber.
Inspect and confirm
We check floors, stairs, furniture and the subfloor, and confirm whether the borer is active or old.
Treat the timber
A registered timber insecticide is sprayed on the bare timber or injected into the holes of affected pieces.
Treat the subfloor
For bearers, joists and the underside of floorboards, the subfloor is sprayed from below.
Fix the cause
We point out damp, poor ventilation and timber that is weak enough to need a carpenter.
Borer treatment questions, answered
What Melbourne home owners ask us before booking a borer inspection.
How much does borer treatment cost in Melbourne?
Borer treatment in Melbourne starts from $200 inc GST for an assessment and written report, from $450 for a localised treatment such as one room of floorboards or a staircase, and from $900 for a full subfloor treatment. You get the price in writing before any work starts.
How do I know if the borer is still active?
Fresh borer holes have clean, light coloured edges, and fresh frass is pale and gathers in small piles below them. Old holes are dark and dirty inside. A borer inspection confirms it, especially in summer when adults emerge.
Is wood borer as bad as termites?
Usually not. Borer works slowly and the damage is often limited to some floorboards or furniture. Termites can do serious damage quickly. Both need to be checked properly, which is why we look for termite signs on every borer inspection.
Can borer spread to my furniture?
Yes. Furniture beetle can move from infested floorboards into untreated timber furniture, and from old furniture into floors. Keep infested pieces apart until they are treated.
Do I need to replace my floorboards?
Not often. Most borer damaged boards are treated and left in place. Boards that are soft, crumbly or breaking at the edges should be replaced by a carpenter, and we will tell you which ones.
Will treatment stop new holes appearing?
Larvae already deep in the timber may still emerge as adults for a season after treatment, so a few new holes can appear. The treatment on the timber surface helps stop new eggs from taking hold. If holes keep appearing after a season, call us back.
Do I need to leave the house during treatment?
For a localised treatment, people and pets stay out of the treated rooms until the surfaces are dry, usually a few hours. Subfloor treatments are done from under the house.
Can you come out today?
Often, yes. Call before midday and a technician can often come the same day anywhere in Melbourne for a borer inspection, 7 days a week.
Borer treatment in four steps
Most borer jobs are booked in one call and treated on one visit after the inspection.
Tell us where
Use the form or call. Where are the holes or dust, and how old is the house?
Inspection
We confirm the borer type, whether it is active, and check for termite signs.
Written price
You get the treatment plan and the price in writing before any work starts.
We treat it
Affected timber and the subfloor are treated, and we explain what to watch for.
Borer treatment across Melbourne
Older homes in every suburb have timber floors that borer can get into. Tap your suburb to start a borer treatment quote.
Other pest control services in Melbourne
Book borer treatment in Melbourne today
Inspection and report from $200, localised treatment from $450. Licensed technicians and a written price before we start.