Deathwatch Beetle?
- Thread starter diynoob
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Sounds like something moving about in your loft.
You need to get up there and look for evidence. Death watch beetle larvae will leave evidence of small mounds of sawdust, (frass?), and holes in the wood where they have emerged.
Mice or rats will leave droppings and posibbly urine trails if the floor is boarded or the back of the plasterboard clean. Rat droppings are bigger than mice dropping, (small dark/black pieces of poo), and rats will sometimes leave a greasy type of streak against anything the brush past. Look all around the edges as this is where rodents tend to run but also look around the whole floor. If you have cardboard boxes or loose bedding, such as quilts/blankets etc, examine these to see if they have been chewed or defecated on. Look for chewed up bit of paper/cardboard/plastic and also check any electrical cables that are exposed.
If you find anything but are not sure then take photo's and post on here.
You need to get up there and look for evidence. Death watch beetle larvae will leave evidence of small mounds of sawdust, (frass?), and holes in the wood where they have emerged.
Mice or rats will leave droppings and posibbly urine trails if the floor is boarded or the back of the plasterboard clean. Rat droppings are bigger than mice dropping, (small dark/black pieces of poo), and rats will sometimes leave a greasy type of streak against anything the brush past. Look all around the edges as this is where rodents tend to run but also look around the whole floor. If you have cardboard boxes or loose bedding, such as quilts/blankets etc, examine these to see if they have been chewed or defecated on. Look for chewed up bit of paper/cardboard/plastic and also check any electrical cables that are exposed.
If you find anything but are not sure then take photo's and post on here.
There is no loft! It's a conversion so the bedroom is in what was originally a loft and the noise is coming from the space between ceiling and roof. There could be a tiny loft in the middle, where the ceiling is flat but there is no access to it. I'd have to go through the ceiling or roof to have a look 
PS It's the tapping sound that I can hear loudly in the bedroom. The scratching noise in the video is probably microphone noise. This one might be clearer?
https://youtube.com/shorts/w7lNMqd63lE?feature=share
PS It's the tapping sound that I can hear loudly in the bedroom. The scratching noise in the video is probably microphone noise. This one might be clearer?
https://youtube.com/shorts/w7lNMqd63lE?feature=share
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Any heating pipes up there? They can creak when they expand.
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Then get yourself one or more endoscopes.. They're dirt cheap now and you'll only need a small hole which is pretty trivial to fix. I've used an optical military one (ebaY) with which I could see a leak 3 metres from the 19mm hole I made. A wipe of that fluffy one-step filler repaired it. The USB endoscopes aren't very good resolution, but the holes would be about 8-10mm.
How old is the house and where is the Ariel?
I had a similar noise and it was a loose Ariel on the gable wall, birds be swinging from it in the morning, or it would rattle in high winds.
It could also be bats...
I had a similar noise and it was a loose Ariel on the gable wall, birds be swinging from it in the morning, or it would rattle in high winds.
It could also be bats...
@sxturbo The aerial is is at the other end of the house. Also, there's a velux window next to where the noise is, so I can open that and see there's nothing on the roof or nearby causing it. With the window open, it's clear the noise is coming from inside. It could well be bats. We've had bats, blue tits and mice in the house before so it could be any of those. The tapping is very distinct though and I don't hear scrabbling or flapping.
@Justin Passing Thanks for the tip about endoscopes. Before that I need to investigate the picture below. It looks like there could access behind the insulation in the airing cupboard. I doubt I'll fit down it but once I can see what's there I could fit a loft hatch in the bedroom.
This will be the electrics for the bedroom light:
@Justin Passing Thanks for the tip about endoscopes. Before that I need to investigate the picture below. It looks like there could access behind the insulation in the airing cupboard. I doubt I'll fit down it but once I can see what's there I could fit a loft hatch in the bedroom.
This will be the electrics for the bedroom light:
Are we looking at the apex of the roof in the first picture?
Is that ducting going into the void above the bedroom? Possibly condensation in the ducting dripping?
To be honest, I can't hear anything on your link video but I do have a hearing problem so maybe my hearing aids simply aren't picking it up.
Is that ducting going into the void above the bedroom? Possibly condensation in the ducting dripping?
To be honest, I can't hear anything on your link video but I do have a hearing problem so maybe my hearing aids simply aren't picking it up.
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I can hear a tapping/ banging noise.
It seems way too loud for beetle though!
I would get a cam, drop the fitting and see what you can see.
It seems way too loud for beetle though!
I would get a cam, drop the fitting and see what you can see.
Birds? We have a birdbox with a camera in, outside our bathroom window and last year Mrs Mottie said she heard a tapping sound like woodpecker. I checked the camera and a blue tit was making a nest.
I doubt it's pipes, thermal expansion or condensation because the tapping stops temporarily if I tap back That's what makes me think it's a male beetle, although it could be birds or bats. It does sound the same as a beetle:
I took down the triangular insulation and the ducting that goes into it doesn't lead anywhere! Can't see anything yet because this end is 10m away from the problem end. Will see if I can spot anything and if not then I'll take down the light fitting in the bedroom and spy through that as others have suggested.
That's what makes me think it's a male beetle, although it could be birds or bats. It does sound the same as a beetle:I took down the triangular insulation and the ducting that goes into it doesn't lead anywhere! Can't see anything yet because this end is 10m away from the problem end. Will see if I can spot anything and if not then I'll take down the light fitting in the bedroom and spy through that as others have suggested.
Still can't see anything alive down there even with a mega powerful torch that lights it up. I'll leave the insulation down for a while, if it's birds or bats they have an escape route now.
The rafters look fine and presumably aren't oak, so it's probably not beetles.
The rafters look fine and presumably aren't oak, so it's probably not beetles.
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