WOOD BORER.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 337, 19 January 1937, Page 4

WOOD BORER.

IN HOSPITAL ROOF.

Survey By Architects To

During the carrying out of t'he recent alterations and additions to to |he Stratford Hospital,, it was discovered that £he majority of the roof timbers Removed were badly infested with borer, and at to day’s meeting, Mr T. V. S. Griffiths, architect, submitted a comprehensive report of the result of a survey made.

To the meeting Mr Griffiths produced sections of timber which were honeycombed with the borer. «At first it was feared that the w’hole roof was similarly infested, and therefore unsound. Closer investigation, however, revealed a much better condition and the survey had definitely removed any suggestion of the instability of the roof. The timbers used were a mixture of rimu, with the majority of the ceiling joists' in oregon, and generally speaking tlw quality of the timber was good. One piece of timber submitted for the inspection of members was a white pine board, which was discovered lying loose on top of the ceiling joists. This board was infested with borer and had apparently acted as a breeding ground. It w r as recommended by Mr Griffiths that the whole of the roofs be again carefully examined and the badly infested sections replaced by heart rimu. The whole of the remaining roof timbers would then be treated with a specially prepared “borer exterminator,’’ sprayed on the surface late in September, 1937, and again in September, 1939. That time of the year was suggested as it was the flight period and the only time when direct contact could be made with the beetles. The Board decided 10 deal -with the matter when framing the year’s estimates.