Will Termites Eat Cedar Siding

Termites are repelled by the resins in cedar lumbar.

Will termites eat cedar siding.

While they can eat any type of wood there are some species they prefer to avoid as much as possible. Cedar is a type of wood that is somewhat naturally resistant to termites. Cellulose from wood or other plants is their primary food. So termites will eat cedar if they have to.

This is the dry non living inner part of the tree truck. Heartwood contains less cellulose than the outer sapwood making it less nutritious for termites. Cellulose is a substance contained in the cell walls of plants that gives them their rigid structure. However as with all wood and even lumber resins and sap seep out of the wood over time.

Broadly speaking termites dislike heartwood. A few woods are naturally resistant to termites including cedar and redwood. Termites can eat cedar but they tend to stay away from it because cedar wood has resin and oil that tends to repel them. While this is a good idea in theory the fact of the matter is that termites feed specifically on cellulose means they have the ability to feed on essentially any plant matter.

Some scientists have even found that these resins are toxic to the termites that decide to ingest them. As their name indicates subterranean termites live below ground in the soil. When they ve expended those food sources they often create feeder tubes hollow channels in your siding that destroy the structural integrity of the wood. Redwood is naturally resistant to termites and decay and often is used in outdoor projects.

The answer is simple. Only certain parts of these woods are resistant the heartwood and occasionally the bark. Same issue with cedar mulch. However over time these resins break down and cedar loses its repellent capabilities.

Also keep in mind that the same issue with the drainage applies with any type of mulch including cedar mulch. Subterranean termites live underground feeding on wood surfaces buried below the surface. Unlike carpenter bees and carpenter ants termites eat the wood they infest. These pests will stay away from cedar at first however this won t always be the case.

Now you may be wondering why they even eat wood at all.