Termites are able to degrade a large number of building materials including wood, wood-based panels, biobased insulation, and polymers. The risk for a material of being degraded by termites depends on its composition, on its accessibility, and also on the behavior and the biology of the termite species considered. Within the EU project Click Design, we investigated the durability, under laboratory conditions, of different wood species and building materials commonly used in construction in Europe (oak, chestnut, wood-based panels, CLT, modified wood) or currently under development (new modification process, bio-based materials) when exposed to attacks by the European subterranean Reticulitermes termite. We also assessed their performance by adapting standardised test protocols and using experimental approaches specifically developed for this study (pairwise and multiple-choice test, doubled-time exposure). The results demonstrated that the materials classified as “moderately durable” against different species of termites (R. flavipes, R. grassei and R. lucifugus) are not a suitable source of food for these insects if no other food is available simultaneously and cause high termite mortality in forced-feeding conditions. In conditions of choice-test where another source of food is available, these materials are first explored by termites but then quickly neglected. Durability and performance are distinct properties which should be evaluated together. The recommendations for end-uses of wood-based materials (indoor or outdoor use, proximity to the ground, etc.) should take into account both their class of durability and their expected performance in real-life situations. The objective of this approach is to better promote the use of moderately durable materials in situations where termite risk can be monitored and/or controlled.

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