Termites and firewood?

[CrocAu]

so i'm almost ready to start my first fire and I'm wondering what is the best way to keep them away?
people say keep firewood away from the house but how far is far enough?
is there any type of firewood that termites don't eat?
any tips would be great

[stonecutter]

Re: Termites and firewood?

Heavy termite activity here in the Carolinas. If you keep the wood off the ground and dry, those two things alone help greatly. Use cmu blocks and pt or something to stack the wood on.

[deejayoh]

Re: Termites and firewood?

I think termites eat any wood that you would want to burn - but rack the wood off the ground, and don't have it leaning on the house - and you should be fine. My wood pile is about a meter from my house and I don't worry about termites at all. A few inches of concrete foundation is enough of a deterrent for your house, probably a reasonable guide

[Greenman]

Re: Termites and firewood?

Depending where you are in this great land termites are more or less of a problem and the levels of paranoia rise and fall accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to have nothing against your house that can host a gallery for them to transit into your walls. Sunlight is their enemy.

There are plenty of Australian hardwoods plus Australian Cyprus that offer termite resistance. The link provides some better and further information.

www.timber.net.au - The Australian Database of Timber - Termite Management for Builders

The one thing for sure with a forno is any termite that goes in does not come out! The ultimate eco-friendly termite exterminator.

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: Termites and firewood?

Termite riddled wood is a great fire starter.
You probably wouldn't want to burn most termite resistant wood as the oils/chemicals that repel them would probably not taste great.
Off the ground,day light,dry,airy,regular ants,echidnas and chooks are pretty good anti termite protection.
I would be more worried about snakes in the wood pile up here, termites are everywhere and pretty well fed just with whats on the ground.

[brickie in oz]

Re: Termites and firewood?

people say keep firewood away from the house but how far is far enough?

Send it to me termites arent a real problem in Melbourne, Ill look after your fire wood real good.....

[CrocAu]

Re: Termites and firewood?

Send it to me termites arent a real problem in Melbourne, Ill look after your fire wood real good.....

does drouin/warragul counts as part of melbourne?

[brickie in oz]

Re: Termites and firewood?

does drouin/warragul counts as part of melbourne?

Yes, I should have said most of Vic not Melbourne.
If the weather warms up like they keep predicting then maybe they will become a problem.

I read somewhere that the termites down here are a different type to the veracious ones up north.

The offer to look after your firewood still stands......

[brewer63]

Re: Termites and firewood?

Gday, I lived in the NE VIC until a couple of years ago and let me tell you they are persistent little buggers. I had some wine barrel planters which were 250mm off the ground and they found them. Maybe it was just the wine they were after.
Please do not store the wood near your home. Distance is your best friend.And if you are really worried put in some termite traps. You can do this yourself and they dont cost the earth.

Cheers john