12 November 2025 · 5 min
Saving Antique Furniture from Wood Borers — Step-by-Step
How to tell active vs old borer damage and the boron-injection treatment that saves heirlooms.
How to spot active borer damage
Tiny round holes (1–2mm) in furniture, with fresh cream-coloured powder beneath them, mean active wood borer (Lyctus or Anobium species). Old grey-yellow dust without fresh emergence means the infestation has already finished — no treatment needed.
The injection treatment we use for antiques
For solid wood antiques, we inject a low-odour, water-based boron solution through the existing borer holes using a fine-gauge syringe. The solution travels along the larval galleries inside the wood, killing larvae without staining, swelling or discolouring the finish. Two treatments 14 days apart catch any late-hatching eggs.
What to avoid
Surface oil treatments do almost nothing — borers live inside the wood. Wrapping furniture in plastic with naphthalene balls is also ineffective at adult-emergence time. And never paint over active holes; you trap the moisture and accelerate damage.
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