Termites And Wood Floors

Do termites eat hardwood floors.

Termites and wood floors. While they can eat any type of wood there are some species they prefer to avoid as much as possible. However if you suspect you have a termite problem you might worry about the structural integrity of your floors. If left uncontrolled for some years termite colonies can eat away at your hardwood floor to the point that it becomes noticeable and weaker at the infested spots. Minor damage to a hardwood floor like oak may be repaired with wood filler.

Wood and tile floors can often be fixed while laminate flooring typically needs to be completely torn up and replaced which is not necessarily a bad thing as it provides easier access to any wooden substructures that need to be repaired replaced and possibly treated with termiticides to prevent a recurrence. Typically these termites prefer to eat softwood such as the spruce pine or fir that are used for studs joists and subflooring. Termites can cause devastating harm to wood structures including hardwood floors. Termites basically eat wood so that s why you ll find lots of termites in hardwood floors.

Broadly speaking termites dislike heartwood. To help prevent these silent destroyers from invading keep all rotting wood such as firewood far away from the house. Any wood that s brought inside should be thoroughly checked look out for holes or hollowness that could house the insects. This is the dry non living inner part of the tree truck.

Your fear is well founded after all termites have an insatiable appetite for wood. Termites and your hardwood floors hardwood flooring is a timeless feature of any home. Your hardwood floor is likely to be infested by damp wood or dry wood termites. Inspectors often tap on the wood to check for a hollow sound to help determine whether or not there is a hidden termite infestation.

Whenever termites eat away at hardwood floors the damage extends to the bond interlinking the floor pieces. Drywood termites push fecal pellets called frass outside their tunnels and chambers. Drywood termites live inside wooden constructions including structural timber furniture and hardwood floors. If the termites are actually eating the hardwood this indicates more than a minor infestation.

Yes termites are well known hardwood boring pests though it takes time for the damage they cause to hardwood floors to become apparent to homeowners. Termites live on the cellulose found in wood or certain other plant materials such as cotton. Because they live inside the areas they feed on they re almost never seen outside the colony. In most cases termites do not live in the wood in a home because they require a damp environment.

However while dry wood termites prefer dry or partially non decayed wood damp wood termites gorge on decaying or moist wood. But they do leave signs of their presence. When termites consume wood they can create cavities in floors baseboards and nearby walls.