Termites are unwanted guests in homes, causing extensive damage before being noticed. Understanding their diet is fundamental for homeowners protecting property. These social insects primarily feed on cellulose.
The Essential Nutrient: Cellulose
Cellulose, a complex organic compound, forms the primary structural component of plant cell walls. This abundant material serves as the main energy source for termites. Termites possess unique adaptations that allow them to digest cellulose. They achieve this through a symbiotic relationship with microorganisms residing in their digestive systems.
Lower termites host protozoa in their hindgut, which break down cellulose into simpler sugars. Higher termites rely on specialized bacteria for similar digestive functions. This microbial collaboration transforms indigestible plant fibers into essential nutrients, enabling termites to thrive on a cellulose-rich diet.
Common Household Cellulose Sources
Termites seek out cellulose-rich materials within homes. Wood is a primary target, including structural timbers, flooring, wall frames, and furniture. Termites prefer softer woods like pine, spruce, and redwood due to their lower density and easier digestion, but also consume untreated hardwoods such as oak, maple, hickory, and birch. Moist or decaying wood is attractive, being softer and simpler to consume.
Beyond wood, paper products provide cellulose, including books, cardboard boxes, documents, and the paper facing on drywall. Natural fiber fabrics like cotton, linen, and rayon also contain cellulose and can be damaged. Dead plant material like mulch, fallen leaves, and wood debris near foundations are also food sources.
Beyond Wood: Other Dietary Preferences
While cellulose is their primary food, some termite species have other dietary behaviors. Fungus-growing termites cultivate symbiotic fungi. These termites bring plant material back to their nests, chew it into a pulp, and use it as a substrate for the fungi to grow. The fungi break down cellulose and lignin, making digestion easier, and the termites consume both the fungi and fungal combs.
Termites also consume other organic matter. They can eat dead insects or animal feces, providing supplementary nutrients like nitrogen or specific minerals. It is important to distinguish between materials termites eat for nutrition and those they damage for access. Termites can tunnel through non-food materials like plastic, rigid foam insulation, plaster, or soft metals. They do this not for sustenance, but to create pathways to cellulose-rich food sources or to expand their tunnels.
Materials Termites Don’t Consume
Termites do not consume all materials. They cannot digest inorganic substances like concrete, metal, glass, stone, brick, and ceramics. Certain woods, including cypress, redwood heartwood, and cedar, are naturally resistant due to their density or the presence of deterring chemical compounds. Pressure-treated wood, infused with chemical preservatives, is also more resistant to termite infestation. Even though termites do not eat these materials, they can exploit existing cracks, gaps, or weaknesses to gain access to hidden cellulose food sources.