A New Type Of Anti-Termite Building Material Has Been Developed

Since termites are known for ravaging people’s houses, you would think that an alternative form of building material that repels termites would have been invented by now. Although there are several non-timber materials available for home-building purposes, such as hemp, or even plastic, very few of these alternatives are considered as aesthetically pleasing as timber. Many alternative building materials are new to the market, so their efficacy has not been tested thoroughly by the public. Normally, alternative building materials, such as brick, are significantly more expensive than timber. Not everyone is able to afford non-timber building materials, so most homebuyers purchase timber-framed homes while praying for a termite-free residence. However,  the home building industry may not always be dominated by timber. Not long ago a researcher developed an alternative building material made from plastic and, most important, a type of desert shrub. This desert shrub has been found to repel termites, making it an ideal ingredient in home building materials.

Researchers from several American universities as well as the US Department of Agriculture, have discovered that a desert shrub known as “guayule” repels termites. The researchers decided to use these shrubs to create home building materials. This was accomplished by mixing recycled plastic with several grounded shrubs. The plastic is made from recycled soft drink and milk containers, and it is used as a binder in the creation of the construction boards. According to one of the researchers, these new boards can be used to construct any part of a house, including the floors, walls and roofs. The boards easily remain scratch-free in the face of wood-boring insects and rot. This is due to the environment where guayule is found. Guayule shrubs contain wood that is tough and drought-resistant. It has been found that all termite species dwelling within the US are repelled by guayule. This recent study is convincing entrepreneurs to buy land in order to cultivate large-scale guayule crops.

Do you think that guayule will repel all termite species currently living in the world?