I noticed a few holes in the console the other day - looked a bit like drawing pin holes but we wouldn't dream of pinning things up - wedding scripts and hymn lists are sellotaped or blu-tacked.

I don't know how long they have been there but I've only just spotted them so I'm guessing not for long.

How much damage is this likely to cause? Husband goes absolutely nuts if anything with ww is brought into the house and dons full body armour and either burns the offending item or soaks it in something lethal.
Should it be flagged up before the organ builder or some committee or other?

Or doesn't it really matter?

It really does matter. By the time you see the holes the woodworm has usually gone, at least from that part of the wood. They used to be called 'flight holes'.

It is best dealt with by the organ builder because the whole instrument will need a thorough inspection, lest there is still infestation in a part not ordinarily visible.

There may well be woodworm elsewhere in the church. You should inform the churchwardens and the PCC.

Barry Williams

Fresh woodworm flight holes have a small pile of sawdust next to them, and the wood looks newish in the hole: old woodworm flight holes mellow and darken, and generally speaking someone will have cleared up the sawdust .
And yes, fresh woodworm matters. A lot. What's more, an entire organ would be an absolute nightmare to fumigate...

I don't know how long they have been there but I've only just spotted them so I'm guessing not for long.

If the holes are new, Mel, you'll probably be able to see slightly lighter (than surrounding) wood in the holes;
(though you probably knew that!)
(ed, as Anacrusis has just said!)

The Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum) is much less of a problem nowadays than it once was, as all timber used in house building for the past thirty years or so will have been treated, so habitat is restricted to furniture and older untreated timber.

For some reason woodworm particularly like plywood, and also seem to be developing a taste for oak furniture; especially if this is not properly dried, or has been stored in damp conditions. Woodworm like cool and damp conditions, so churches provide a natural habitat.

Woodworm will bore into French Polished wood, but will not usually bore through varnish or paint, as these protective films are too thick.

As others have commented, fresh holes will apper clean inside, and may have tiny piles of sawdust alongside them. Woodworm holes will also appear smooth and regular if viewed through a magnifying glass, and will connect to a bore of some description. Pinholes, on the other hand, will be irregular in shape, and will not have a connecting bore.

My guess is that if these holes are new, the woodworm will most likely have been brought into the building in a piece of furniture, or other timber.

I would advise the PCC as a matter of urgency. The PCC should advice the Archdeacon, and get an independent expert to inspect the church fabric as soon as possible. Woodworm are unlikely to have caused structural damage in such a short time, and treatment at this stage is fairly quick and easy, so it is best to tackle the problem now.

Treatment involves applying a liquid insecticide to all timber by brush, roller or spray. Permanently damp timber, which is especially at risk, can be protected by inserting rods of boron. Fumigation is not considered effective.

There is plenty of information online about this subject, including the following free guide from one of the treatment manufacturers: Guide to the Identification of Wood-boring Insects

SB

Oh dear.

I'd better check with the regular organist (who's been a bit preoccupied) and some other people concerned with the fabric just in case the holes have been there for years and I just haven't noticed. I can't say I've seen any sawdust but there is a fierce draught there and that may have blown away the evidence. I shall have a peer into the holes this evening.

You need to give the organ (and any choir pews) a good censing - I'm told they're not too keen on that sort of thing - the various wood boring insects must be protestants.

I did wonder about that. In our case 'a good censing' might solve some other problems too.

Now, where did I put those drawing pins?

SB

We tried that. The insects just Bourdon through....

(sorry)

Oh no; I fear we have stepped onto a slippery glissando here.

I suppose the Woodworm Bourdon into the open wood on Principle.

If I were a Gamba-ling man I would put my whistle-and-flute on the organ stool being most likely to suffer worm attack.

Anyhow, try to stay Positif, and make en-Quire-ies about a Couple of Solo traders with Gravissima who can Exaudire the worm Humana-ly with a good Hummel-ing.

I would ask the Hautboy for you but I am no longer on Speaking terms with him as I don't like his pitch.

SB

No doubt it ended up as a Hohl Flute.

I would like to Echo your thoughts.

SB