WWPI SPECIAL ISSUE: TREATED WOOD IN THE WEST
Termite infestation is increasing, protection is improving By Belinda Remley
The most common species of termite in the U.S. is the eastern subterranean termite, with colonies that can consume a pound of wood per day.
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The Merchant Magazine n
April 2021
DURING THE EARLY 1970s in suburban Chicago, homeowners were introduced to Wolmanized pressure treated wood during a test market to see if do-it-yourselfers would be interested in building their own decks. Thus began the outdoor living revolution. Since then, dealers and retailers alike have stocked aisles with pressure treated wood that DIYers and contractors have used to adorn backyards with preserved wood decks, retaining walls, furniture, raised bed gardens, and other projects limited only by their imaginations. The momentum has carried for decades and, although there are other products on the market, treated wood is still the first choice of contractors and builders. Because of its natural beauty (it doesn’t just look like wood, it is wood) and its long-term protection against the natural enemies of wood. Without that protection, wood will fall prey to the destructive little termite, which causes millions of dollars in damages to homes each year. Wreaking destruction for more than 100 million years, termites inhabit all land masses on Earth, except Antarctica, with colonies ranging in size from a few hundred individuals to enormous societies with several million pests. Their queens have the longest lifespan of any other insect in the world—up to 30-50 years. The number of invasive termite species that destroy wood used in infrastructure increased to 28 in 2017 (up from 17 in 1969), according to the scientific journal Ecology and Evolution. Probably the most common, the subterranean termite, can inhabit large colonies that eat about a pound of wood per day. That may not seem like a lot, but the problem occurs over time as the termites remain hidden where they attack. So days, weeks or even years pass with a colony of small insects eating away at a deck or home. By the time the termites are finally discovered, severe damage could be present. Yearly, damage impacts over 600,000 homes and causes $5 billion in damage and repairs just in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Lonza has been innovating products to protect wood from its natural enemies—including termite, mold and fungal decay—for nearly a century. And since there seems to be no end to an insect that has been eating its way through wood and wood structures for 100 million years, we will continue our research and development,” says Scott Skinner, wood Building-Products.com
