Wood That Termites Won T Eat

Borate is a water soluble chemical used to prevent and control termite infestations.

Wood that termites won t eat. Unlike some other types of termites however they dont need access to damp conditions. Cypress heartwood has been rated as termite resistant with one study showing that extracts from this wood actually repel termites. What wood will termites not eat. Pressure treated wood is created with the use of pressure and vacuum cycles where a preservative is embedded in the pores of the wood.

Drywood termites begin their attack with just two termites. For this reason most termite infestations start with wood that touches or is located close to the soil. Organic wood based mulches arent going to provide termites with a source for heavy feeding. A bit of preservative can go a long way.

Plants plant byproducts cotton fibers your t shirt for example paper products and of course wood. Once treated the wood must be coated with a finish to seal in the borate. Termites feed on many of these materials to get the cellulose they need. This forms a chemical barrier that resists termites and decay.

Like most termites drywood termites eat structural wood from the inside out leaving a brittle shell. So if you can make the wood unattractive the termites wont even try. First the female selects a likely place to live and then pairs up with a male before they start tunnelling. If the pieces of wood inside the ground are bare then this is a surefire way for termites to make their way inside the wooden structure.

If it doesnt taste good the termites wont hang around. Especially in warmer climates termites are a constant threat even to the most skillfully crafted wood structures. The chemical diffuses into wood creating a barrier through which termites cannot pass. Choosing termite resistant wood goes a long way toward preventing these bugs from making a meal of your property.

Many species of drywood termites live in the southern half of the united states with a range extending from california to north carolina and southward. There are two basic chemical preservatives used to treat wood alkaline cooper quaternary acq and copper boron azole cba which replaced the previously used chromate copper arsenate cca. Similarly if you lay cedar mulch termites wont be very happy. These little insects can easily inflict massive damage to your house and in many cases they leave few or no apparent traces of their destruction until irreversible harm has been done.

Why do termites eat wood. Termites wont eat through paint. Termite damage isnt inevitable though. Termites are poisoned when they eat the treated wood.

Heres some good news for all homeowners. However whether or not a termite colony will make its way into your wood depends on how well the wood was painted.