According to PRWeb, Wise Property Care, a Scottish company specialising in the treatment of woodworm, recently received a call for emergency help all the way from Iceland.
Although woodworm infestation in te North Atlantic nation is extremely rare, it appears to be a real enough threat that the company dispatched one of its employees with a load of chemicals to tackle the problem.
A Wise Property Care worker based in Aberdeen, Mr. Kerr, was sent to Reykjavik. He said: “It’s really common here in the UK, 75% of houses get it, but it seems there’s no one in Iceland who knew what to do. Very few of the houses apparently use softwood which woodworm like. My usual patch is between Montrose and Wick but they must have thought I was the closest.”
The company believes that woodworm may have arrived in Iceland in some imported softwood furniture. The problem was identified by a local professor, but as it is so uncommon in Iceland, no one could be found locally to treat the infestation.
The 42-year-old Mr. Kerr said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity. I’ve never been to Iceland before. It will be interesting to see if there’s a growing problem there. It’s usually too cold and dry for woodworm.” Upon arrival in Iceland, he is reported to have changed his mind on just how dry the country is.
Woodworm is fairly common in houses built from softwoods in the UK, particularly in buildings with exposed timber. Only a handful of cases have ever been recorded in Iceland, where the lower temperatures make it harder for eggs and worms to survive.