Top 6 Things Around Your House That Termites Can Easily Destroy

What are the top 6 things around your house that termites can easily destroy?

1. Wood
2. Paper
3. Plastic
4. Cardboard
5. Plants
6. Cotton

 

Pest control services probably receive more calls about termite infestation than any other household pest. The presence of termites in your home can be alarming and when it comes down to it, preventing them from entering your house is the best way to combat them. There are many valuable things all around your house, and if a hungry termite stumbles upon it, be prepared to say goodbye to that item.

This doesn’t mean that you should cover up every single thing in your house, but if worse comes to worst, then you should seek the aid of pest control services immediately.

While termites might seem ravenous when it comes to their food, they are actually picky eaters. Not everything is a food source for them, but you should still be aware of the top 6 things around your house that termites will instantly be attracted to:

 

Wood

 

Wood is probably the most common food that termites like to consume. Their diets include cellulose, which is an organic fiber plentiful in wood and this is why they also eat other plants and even grass. When digested, cellulose becomes the primary source of nutrients that they need to survive.

When termites eat wood, it can get pretty destructive, especially when they choose to feast on material that compromises the structural integrity of your house. Termites are able to do this because of their special mouthparts that are perfect for chewing wood and other sources of cellulose.

 

Paper

Books and documents are important investments and it would be difficult to deal with their loss due to termite infestation. Keeping your books in a storage area or a facility riddled with termites is bound to end badly.

What’s even worse is if they find your money box, all that hard earned cash would just be reduced to little bits of paper. Both paper and wood contain cellulose which termites break down into digestible substances, providing them with life-sustaining energy and other necessary nutrients.

Books, currency, and documents should not be stored for so long that they trap moisture because this will easily attract termites. The solution to this is to find leaks and repair them as soon as possible to block off all entrances that termites can use.

 

Plastic

 

While termites do not eat all plastic, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) are especially vulnerable. PVC is a primary material for pipes and it is also used to cover cables and electrical wiring.

Termites have the ability to secrete a formic acid which can easily destroy the wiring within the plastic pipes or cables. This just proves that termites can be one of the most damaging pests around. In addition, it will not be good to hear that termites’ bodies are made up of a relatively high amount of formic acid – up to three percent of their body weight!

 

Cardboard

Termites often attack cardboard items as discreetly as they can. Termites tend to invade a home where there are many items that are made from cardboard. Their crawl space can expose cardboards to the termites and they can destroy them without even being noticed.

They can also cause considerable damage to many items that are stored in cardboard boxes. The boxes stacked in various areas of the house might seem undisturbed but once termites find their way inside your home, then all your cardboard items could be destroyed.

 

Plants

 

Termites can also appear in potted plants so you have to consider where you place them. Before choosing an effective pest control solution, you should take it upon yourself to move plants away from termite infested areas. This is because termites can tunnel aggressively through the soil and leave them porous and rich in nutrients.

This isn’t necessarily for the benefit the plants, though, but more for the termites to feed on, especially in dry weather. Otherwise, termites are harmless to non-woody plants. Termites can take up residence in wooden or fiber plants which is bad for the plants.

 

Cotton

Termites can get easily attracted to clothes that are made from cotton because the material contains cellulose which termites cannot seem to get enough of. These pests will not hesitate to they come in contact with your clothes. They will chew on every last bit of your favorite shirt until it is not good enough to be a part of your closet.

When the termites have found their way to your clothes, there is a great chance that they have feasted on many other items in your house as well. You can put a stop to this by cleaning out your wardrobe regularly or calling the pest control experts at the first sign of the termite problem.

 

Key Takeaway

 

Having termites in your home would be a great distraction from having a peaceful life. Aside from their pesky infestations, they can destroy important things in your house which would be a great problem if ever you would be in need of those said items. In order to get ahead of these pests, contact a pest control service provider at the first sign of trouble and avoid a headache every time a termite munches on your things.