Do termites eat all types of wood? Thankfully, the quick answer is no. There are types of wood that are termite-resistant and are not affected by termites ever.
Termites prefer invading soft, rotting, or moist wood. Hence, most termite infestations start with woods that are located close to the soil or wooden foundations near stacked firewood and newspaper wastes.
Homeowners can prevent termite infestation by knowing the different woods that termites don’t eat.
Redwood
Redwood is one of nature’s strongest materials. It’s dark, dense, and less porous making it a favorite among builders. Its tannin-rich body makes it a good choice for both indoor and outdoor use because it can resist damage, decay, and termites.
Brazilian Jatoba wood
Jatoba, also known as the Brazilian Cherry is another weather and termite-resistant, wood. It is a beautiful hardwood that varies from a light orangish brown to a darker reddish brown, sometimes with complementary darker grayish brown streaks. Due to their amazing color and good bending properties, they are commonly used for ceilings, floorings, and wall framings.
Walnut Wood
Walnut wood is a hard, heavy, and highly resistant wood. It has a very hard grain composition, which is why termites don’t dare bite them. The grain in this wood is irregular but generally straight, making it another favorite for builders. Walnut wood is commonly used to make carvings, gunstocks, knickknacks, cabinets, and furniture. If you’re buying furniture for a termite-prone area, you better ask the salesman to show furniture that utilizes walnut wood. It’s also a good option for flooring.
Mahogany Wood
Mahogany wood is another hardwood that termites don’t eat. Genuine mahogany is often used for decking and flooring because of its amazing resistance to decay and rotting. It has a Janka Score of 800-900 and is currently the best choice among other types of wood.
A high Janka score means that the wood can also withstand falling from a great height without denting. Mahogany wood is incredibly strong and hard, that is why termites don’t dare eat them. But most builders still try to apply double-protection by coating woods with termite solutions to avoid infestation.
Teakwood
Teakwood is another type of wood that termites don’t eat. It is most commonly used for decking and flooring, especially for boats and yachts. The golden color makes it an attractive choice for aesthetics. But aside from that it has a smooth grain texture and has very high natural oils and rubber, which termites cannot go near. It is known for its unique water-resistant properties and does not rot easily, even when left untreated.
Cypress Wood
Also known as oak wood, Cypress Hardwood is commonly used for timber flooring in Australian homes. While not dense enough to be used in larger trusses or structural timber, it has a proven track record of being an excellent choice for home extension and renovation projects. For many decades, it has been a favorite of builders and homeowners because it doesn’t require prior treatment. It is naturally resistant to strong weather conditions and termites. Moreover, it has a light brown to dark brown appearance that makes it great for every room.
OSB
OSB is made from tiny strands of wood – about 8 to 15 centimeters long – put together to create a board. Instead of throwing deformed trees away, they are shredded to produce crooked, knotty pieces. The materials are arranged in cross-oriented layers and then glued together using waterproof heat-cured adhesive. The result is hardboard with similar strength and performance as plywood. It has a high resistance to deflection, warping, and distortion. But because of the heat process that it has gone through, termites barely attack this kind of wood.
Processed Bamboo
Processed bamboo is harvested bamboos that are boiled to remove the traces of starch and sugar from the material. The material is then dried in a kiln to remove extra moisture. Processing bamboo will make it resistant to termites, because the latter can no longer consider it as a potential food course in the absence of sugar.
Termites attempting to chew through processed bamboo would stop because of the lack of moisture. Moreover, bamboos can also be termite-proofed using clear-coat borate treatment. The acid treatment renders bamboo useless for sap-hungry termites.
Pressure Treating Wood
Pressure-treating wood is the process of forcing wood preservatives or fire-retardants into the wood to make it resistant to pest infestations. It’s by far the best and most effective method to prolong the lifespan and preserve the timber life of your woods. Wood preservatives can help protect the wood from different kinds of insects such as termites.
Composite Materials
Composite materials are specially designed to resist termite infestations and increase the useable lifetime of timber products. Other composite products are made of wood fibres and natural timber, which can make a durable product for buildings.
Conclusion
Termites are every homeowner’s worst nightmare. They can cause serious damage to the structure of your home and cost expensive repairs. Fortunately, not all woods are prone to termite infestations. If you are planning to build, renovate, or buy a home in Australia, try to ask about the different woods used to build the integral structure of the house. A little knowledge will be helpful to prevent serious problems in the future. If you’re currently facing termite problems on your property, feel free to call our team.
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We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control the absolute best in the game!
