On a recent home inspection my client had a concern about a beam on the deck. When I looked at it I knew who the exact culprit of the angst.

Teredo, or better known as shipworm, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Teredinidae.

The scientific name Teredo comes from “teredo-wood-gnawing worm” (terebro means drill) and the most destructive subspecies, “navalis means- of ships or the sea.”

The exact origin of the Teredo navalis is not known.  It is thought that Columbus may have been the one to introduce the Teredo navalis into European waters after his little visit to the Caribbean which is known to be heavily infested waters. The first confirmed damage by Teredo navalis was sited in the Netherlands when wood from a Dutch dike broke down in 1731 from mining.

Shipworms, which they estimate there is thirty-eight species of Teredinidae, with the Teredo navalis being the most destructive, have been called by mariners as the ‘termites of the sea’. Shipworms have been a curse to ancient seafarers till the arrival of metal clad ships by the 18th century.

As far back as 3000 BC the Phoenicians and Greeks were fully aware of the destructive power of this molluscs and coated the hulls of their ships with wax and tar to try to prevent their entry into the wood of their hulls. Romans also knew of there repercussions and used a combination of lead, tar and pitch for protection.

The good news in this case is once the wood has been removed from the water the Teredo dies. So unless the wood has already been structurally compromised there will not be any further destruction.

The beam in this case was actually okay and will be a great talking piece in the future.

Wood that has been mined by shipworm is often of interest to woodworkers. The boring pattern can be quite beautiful when incorporated into a piece. Here is a beautiful guitar made of spruce mined by Teredo made by Benedetto Guitars http://benedettoguitars.com/.

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Red Adair

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

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