Can Termites Eat Glass?
WouterTermites do not chew through glass. However, they do eat wood. Often, these termites are subterranean and they build tunnels to reach their food source.
In this experiment, termites built clay structures in different positions. Termites also built thick solid walls around the edges of a paver. During the four week laboratory experiment, termites ate 66 to 86 percent of the wood in both units.
In one out of seven replicates, termites ate wood without building a clay structure. This indicates that termites are capable of assessing the load of the wood.
The lab experiment was conducted under controlled conditions for four weeks. All experiments were performed in conditioned rooms with 28 degC and 80% relative humidity.
The termite’s building mechanism may have been triggered by the acoustic properties of the wood under load. It may have also been triggered by the self-organizing rules observed in eusocial insects.
The “Will They Eat It?” playlist, created by the National Pest Management Association, has a sparkly set and a laugh track. It also includes a video.
The most important piece of information from the “Will They Eat It?” playlist is that termites do not chew through glass. But, they do fit through gaps in concrete and other materials. It is not that hard for termites to chew through plastic, but it is not as easy for them to chew through glass.
Having said that, termites can’t eat glass because they don’t have any nutritional value. Termites are more interested in cellulose, the stuff that makes plants fibrous.
