What Wood Do Termites Eat?

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The most obvious thing that attracts termites to your home is wood. Termites can do extensive damage that costs a lot of cost by eating away at the wood and cellulose-based materials in buildings non-stop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

But, have you ever wondered what type of wood do termites eat? Do termites have definite preferences when eating the wood in your property? Find the answer below!

Why do termites like wood?

Termites and woods are two things that cannot be separated. This damaging pest is constantly looking for any type of wood to be eaten, by extracting the cellulose, nutrients, and moisture inside the wood in order to stay alive.

Learn more on why do termites eat wood here

What type of wood do termites eat?

Although termites tend to eat any type of wood, yet each termite species has an interest or preference on specific types of woods. Below are the different types of wood do the common termite species in Indonesia eat, including:

• Subterranean termites
• Drywood termites
• Dampwood termites

Subterranean termites

Subterranean termites are picky eaters, they only eat softwoods and will leave the harder wood part behind. Subterranean termites prefer to eat live trees or wood that is already damaged from.

Drywood termites

Drywood termite primary diets can be easily found around your property including hardwood or softwood which has been processed into door and window frames, furniture, wooden cabinets, and hardwood floors.

This termite species do not live in the soil and only require minimum contact with any moisture source. As a result, they will commonly be found infesting on dry wood material above ground level.

Dampwood termites

Dampwood termites are associated with decayed woods or any kind of wood that has already begun to rot, including dying standing trees, stumps or old wood piles around your property.

How to prevent termites from eating wood?

Termite prevention is the key you need to do before even the termite infestation can be visibly seen in your home.

Here are some possible ways to prevent termites from eating wood in your home:

• Reduce moisture and humidity in your home
• Prevent the wood on your property from contacting the soil
• Keep your wooden furniture clean and dry
• Remove any untreated wood around your house
• Contact termite control expert always becomes the best way to prevent termites from eating the wood in your house

Termites can quickly infest and damage many areas on your property, from your garden to inside your home. If you noticed any signs of termite infestation around your home, contact a certified termite control company like Rentokil to handle your termite problems immediately.

Contact Rentokil today to begin safeguarding your structure from damage a termite can do.