Do Termites Commonly Infest Furniture?
Whenever you overhear someone mentioning termites, you probably think of the damage that they can inflict on timber-framed homes. Although termites are complicated and even interesting insects, having a negative attitude toward them is certainly understandable. After all, termites cause billions of dollars in property damage every year. Most people probably assume that termites are only problematic to the wood that many homes are made of. But, termites often damage various wood-constructed items within people’s homes as well. Having a home made of bricks or cement does not protect a homeowner from the destructive appetites of a termite colony. When termites successfully enter a home, they will often head straight for the furniture. Furniture is almost always made with some amount of wood material. If you think about it, there are probably no items in your home that offer termites as much wood to snack on as your furniture does. But how often do termites really damage furniture while leaving the rest of a person’s home undamaged?
The most destructive termites in the United States are subterranean termites. Luckily these types of termites rarely infest the furniture within people’s homes. This is due to the subterranean termites need for moisture-rich environments. Subterranean termites can easily damage a home’s outer structure since these insects build mud tubes that allow them to travel between your home and the moisture-rich environment beneath the surface of soil. As you can understand, subterranean termites cannot easily travel between the soil and the interior of your home. Unless your furniture is somehow making contact with the outside soil, you should not have to worry about America’s most destructive termites eating your furniture. In very rare instances, subterranean termites may nibble through wooden items that are kept in your basement as long as they can easily return to soil.
Drywood termites are different, as these termites do not need the moisture that soil provides in order to survive. When drywood termites are swarming, they may be able to access your home, thus allowing them an opportunity to nest on your furniture. Surprisingly, termite swarms are often spotted within homes. However, not all termite alates within a swarm will survive to become queens and kings of a new colony. However, wood that is brought indoors, such as firewood, could be infested with drywood termites. In this case drywood termites could access your furniture with relative ease. Accidently transporting drywood termites into your home is the most common cause of furniture infestation. These infestations are notoriously difficult to notice, so be sure to inspect any cellulose containing items before bringing them into your home from the outside environment.
Have you ever spotted a termite, or several termites, within your home? If so, did you ever spot a termite nest within your home?
