BORERS IN FURNITURE.

Matamata Record, Volume XIII, Issue 1104, 10 March 1930, Page 3

BORERS IN FURNITURE.

The presence of many holes in th timber of a piece of furniture is no necessarily an indication that borer are still in the interior, but the peri odical appearance ox fresh holes, fror which white dust appears when th wood is tapped, is a definite indica tion that these pests are present Heat treatment is the best to ri< wood of these pests, but it can hi used only if the article is small. Th< article should be placed in a “slow’ oven—not hotter than the boiling point of water —for an hour or two This will kill the eggs and the developing insects in all stages, anc it is particularly effectual for pictureframes. For other furniture spraj at intervals of a month with equal parts of paraffin and turpentine, oi a solution of camphor in paraffin, injecting the liquid into the wormholes with a fountain ‘pen filler. Fot chairs and tables, stand 'the legs in glass jars half-filled with the liquid and leave to soak. The regular use of the old-fashioned beeswax and turpentine is an excellent deterrent against infection with borer. It is well to test infected furniture to determine whether it is worth saving; in some cases it is more economical to burn it with its contents of insects. Never discard jm infected piece of furniture and leave. .6 lying in a lumber-room. It will become a source of infection to all the other woodwork in the house.