Termites & the Types of Trees They Attack
Termites eat dead wood, old roots and stumps and wood used in construction. Sometimes they even eat living shrubs and trees. Of all the wood-destroying pests in the world, termites are the most destructive.
Preferences
Termites will eat the wood of any tree but they do have preferences. Termites like the sapwood of pines, cypress, red oak, eucalyptus and black cherry. A study found that loblolly pine and black cherry sapwood were at the top of the list of wood types that termites prefer, according to the University of Florida. Other woods that termites like include sugar maple, pecan, birch and red gum.
Resistant Woods
Some woods are resistant to termites. These include the heartwoods of California redwood, southern tidewater red cypress, southern pine that’s very pitchy, melaleuca and the heartwood of red cedar. As reported by the University of Florida, studies conducted in the 1970s found that heartwoods can be toxic to termites. Other woods that resist termites include Alaskan yellow cedar, mahogany, sassafras, Bolivian rosewood, Indian rosewood and Honduras rosewood.
Pressure Treated Wood
Termites don’t like pressure treated wood and will stop feeding on it after feeding on the surface. Eating pressure treated wood kills termites.
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Lani Thompson began writing in 1987 as a journalist for the "Pequawket Valley News." In 1993 she became managing editor of the "Independent Observer" in East Stoneham, Maine. Thompson also developed and produced the "Clan Thompson Celiac Pocketguides" for people with celiac disease. She attended the University of New Hampshire.
Photo Credits
- Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
- Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
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