Termites in Ireland: what is really eating your timber
People across Cork search for termite treatment every month. Ireland has no established termite population — but the damage they are seeing is real, and treatable.
The short answer
Termites need sustained warmth to establish a colony, and the Irish climate does not provide it. There is no established termite population in Ireland. Very occasionally an isolated infestation arrives in imported timber or packaging, and it is dealt with as a containment job, but it is rare.
What you probably have instead
Small round exit holes with fine dust below them are almost always common furniture beetle — woodworm. Larger holes in old hardwood, with a ticking sound in spring, suggest deathwatch beetle. Timber that is soft, dark and crumbling, often near a leak or an unventilated void, is wet or dry rot rather than an insect at all.
How each is treated
- Woodworm: surface and injected insecticidal timber treatment, plus fixing the damp that attracted them
- Deathwatch beetle: targeted treatment of affected structural timber, often with a longer monitoring period
- Wet or dry rot: find and stop the water source, cut out failed timber, treat and improve ventilation
- Structural doubt: we will tell you when you need a surveyor or carpenter rather than a spray
Getting it checked
Our timber inspection across Cork city and county is free, and you get a written report you can give to a buyer, lender, landlord or insurer. If the timber is sound and the holes are old and inactive, we will tell you that and charge you nothing.
Need this sorted today?
Fixed prices, no call-out fee, seven days a week across Cork city and county.