Most people think termites are the only insects that can inflict damage to property. But in fact they are just one in a list of insects that eat (and destroy) wood. The list of wood-destroying insects includes carpenter ants, termites (several species), round-headed borers, carpenter bees, wood destroying beetles, brown wood rot and several others.

Different wood-destroying insects prefer different types of wood. For instance, termites generally like soft wood that is found in the structure of the building but round-headed borers like both soft and hard wood less than 10 years old. LivingWithBugs.com has a really informative chart about wood destroying insects (pdf). The chart lists the insect, the type of wood it prefers, damage potential and a few other facts.

Wondering what brown wood rot is? Brown wood rot (there is also a white wood rot) is actually a decay fungi that typically grows on wood with a lot of moisture. Both brown and white wood rot is sometimes mistaken for termite damage but can be disproved once it is determined there aren’t any tunnels or sawdust.

So when a termite inspection is preformed, termites are just one of the pests being inspected for. And termites aren’t the only insect that can destroy your home, porch or deck.

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