How to spot Borer

🪵🐛 Spotting Borer Before It Becomes Your Problem

This photo is from a house I inspected this week. At first glance it just looks like a bit of dirty timber… but look closer and you’ll see tiny pin-sized holes and frass (fine dust) around the base.

That’s borer — a timber borer that loves to quietly chew away at subfloor framing while no one’s looking. Most people never notice it until the damage is well advanced… but I pick it up during a standard pre-purchase inspection.

Why it matters:

✔ Borer can weaken joists, bearers and piles

✔ It often hides in dark, damp, poorly-ventilated subfloors

✔ Minor activity costs a few hundred to treat

✔ Major structural damage can cost thousands

What I do:

During an inspection I check for:

🔍 Pin holes

🔍 Frass trails and dust build-up

🔍 Softening timber

🔍 Live vs inactive infestation

🔍 Ventilation, moisture and risk conditions

If there’s activity, I’ll let you know the extent, severity, likely repair costs, and what treatment is needed — before it becomes your problem.

Buying a home? Think something doesn’t look right under yours?

👉 Book an inspection at www.bookabuilder.co.nz

I’ll make sure pests aren’t eating your investment from the underside.