LOUIS VUITTON TRUNK XYLOPHENE TREATMENT

Under its very healthy appearance , this trunk has reserved for us some unpleasant surprises and fears. This gray Trianon trunk was stored in a damp room . The underside was completely eaten, which is however classic on a trunk over 120 years old. When taking the trunk apart we saw hundreds of insects swarming in the woods , which gave us a cold sweat!

These are  wood weevils , the larvae of which eat the wood. These insects love damp, even rotting , wood to lay their eggs.

It is not as dangerous an insect as the termite , the capricorn, or the woodworm. However, we must get rid of it as soon as possible because each passing day condemns this trunk a little more.

Appearance: Adults are 1.5 to 5 mm long. Weevils are reddish brown to black. They have a long rostrum, a cylindrical body and short legs. The larva is creamy white, C-shaped, wrinkled and legless.

Manners : Its damage is associated with rotting damp wood , especially timber already attacked by the polypore fungus. The infestation can then extend to adjacent healthy wood.

Life cycle:  The female lays her eggs individually in specially dug holes. They are shiny, white, flexible and flattened at one end. They hatch in 16 days . The larvae tunnel in the wood for six months to a year. They nest near the surface for two to three weeks.  Adults emerge in the summer by digging in wood, leaving exit holes behind. Adults can live for up to a year.

We therefore removed, in EMERGENCY, the rotting wood infested with larvae and insects. In order to be able to apply the treatment correctly, the interior must be completely dismantled to have access to the raw wood.

Replacement of the cut timber removed and restoration of the trunk bottom. 

On the market there are a number of curative and preventive xylophene treatments in the form of gel, liquid or aerosol spray. These chemical treatments guarantee active protection for the next 25 years.