Universal Forest Products

What Are Formosan Termites?

ProWood^® Borate can stand up to the formidable Formosan termite. In the United States alone, termites cost about $3 billion in property damage per year. Termites are present in every state in the U.S., except Alaska. The cost of repairing termite damage has grown by 400% since 1988. This dramatic increase can be blamed largely on the Formosan termite.

The Formosan termite is a “super termite” whose colonies typically eat 1000 pounds of wood a year. By comparison, the average domestic termite colony eats about seven pounds of wood a year. So far, the Formosan termite has infested 14 states, where they cost homeowners $1 billion a year in damages—one third of the total annual damages caused by termites in the U.S.A. The homeowner whose home is damaged by the Formosan termite can expect to pay an average of $11,400 to repair his home.

Fifteen years ago, termites and decay accounted for only about $750 million per year in damage. The Formosan termite and its havoc are spreading fast. Forty-five percent of all new homes in the U.S. are built in areas that are especially susceptible to termite and decay. Homebuilders face long- and short-term liability associated with this known and destructive hazard.

Formosan termites can nest above-ground, so they can avoid traditional toxins that are put into soil. These termites destroy wood by building a tube around conventionally treated wood surfaces.

ProWood Borate treated lumber products, though, are water-soluble, so the borates can penetrate the termites’ tubes to kill and repel the insects. Borates—which are safe, naturally occurring mineral salts—interfere with the termites’ metabolic processes and effectively kill them. Surviving termites avoid the treated material. ProWood Borate thus becomes a termite barrier for your project.

Stop the Formosan termite—by building with borates!