30 Aug What do termites eat?
What do termites eat?
What do termites eat?
When you hear someone ask “what do termites eat?”, the first thing that comes to your mind is “woods.” But is it just wood?
Termites don’t just eat wood. They feed on the cellulose of trees and the wooden structure of your home because of their voracious wood-based diet. Cellulose is a common organic compound found in plant materials like paper and wood.
Subterranean termites are insatiable cellulose eaters. That’s why you can find them mostly in newspaper trach or rotten fire woods. Anywhere there’s cellulose is a tasty menu for termites. The following are some of the most popular targets of termite infestations in your home. Might as well keep these items in check because termites often start here.
Books
In the same way that termites can destroy a home from the inside out, they can take down your book collection while leaving the cover intact. If you have a library of books that haven’t been checked for so long, maybe it’s time to look at them. Thankfully, the evidence of a termite attack on books is quite obvious. The following are signs that your books have termites in them.
- The pages of your books are turning dry and yellowish
- The edges of the pages are turning ragged
- Tiny holes become obvious among the pages
- The appearance of grainy dust-like layers is apparent
- Mud tunnels are forming like veins on your books
- Some pages have been eaten up by dirt
Fast food packaging
Termites can feed on cellulose-infused food packaging. The abundance of cellulose on greasy burgers makes them very appetizing for termites. In the National Pest Management Associations’ “Will They Eat IT”, the episode showed 100,000 termites devouring a fast-food hamburger and its packaging. That means you should not be throwing your hamburger wrappers anywhere. It’s also best to empty your trash bin regularly to avoid ants and termites.
Headphones
Just because termites are wood lovers, it doesn’t mean they won’t feed on your headphones. Headphones have outer fabrics that termites can chew on while the plastic coating on wires also contains cellulose that termites will diligently search for. If you’re going on a vacation for a while, you should not leave your headphones anywhere in your home. Whether it’s the dry wood or subterranean termites that find their way to your headphone, it’s going to break.
Paper Bills
Termites are not called menaces for no reason at all. Surprisingly, termites will also eat your money. Money is made from cellulose-rich paper, which can be very attractive to termites. They can quickly blow through a roll of bills if given the chance.
So, if you’re storing money in a cash box or safe near your wooden structure, be careful of termites. Or maybe you have a basement full of paper money, you should be careful as termites can attack them anytime.
Shoes
Canvas sneakers and any shoes with laces are prone to termite infestation. Since your shoes are often placed on the ground, termites will seek out any part of them that have cellulose. These voracious eaters will strip the cotton fabric from your favorite kicks. So don’t leave your shoes anywhere. Make sure you clean them regularly, especially if they have become wet and muddy. Smelly shoes can also attract subterranean termites. Moreover, try to get rid of shoes that haven’t been used for a while.
Towels
Did you know that termites will also eat towels? The most surprising fact perhaps is that termites will turn from creamy to the color of the dye they consumed from the towel. Since termites can eat towels, your clothes are not an exemption. Considering that cotton clothes are made of cellulose, termite can still feed on them. If termites find their way to your clothing, they can eat them all in a short period.
Are you suspecting that termites are in your home? Do you see clear signs of termite infestation like the formation of mud tunnels in your home, ragged and bitten books, or infested shoes? Give us a call to schedule an inspection. The Local Guy Pest Control is dedicated to delivering high-quality pest control service for your home.
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