Termites and wood consumption

How much wood does a termite eat?

I got an email question about the amount of wood a termite eats and how fast they can damage a house. Bad news is if you already have termite activity in the wood members of your home then you have to get it treated. Good news is that they don't go through your house like you see in a cartoon where one minute your house is there and the next minute it's gone. Termites in the northeast called subterranean termites will eat about 13 lbs of wood per average colony. Formosan will eat almost double that. So when your termite sales person comes out and slaps you with an estimate for two thousand dollars to get your home treated you don't have to feel pressured to sign on the dotted line in fear of your home falling down. Having said that you do need to understand that if the damage has been going on unchecked for years and years and there is extensive structural damage then you should act as quickly as possible to get the damage fixed and the termite infestation treated.