Insect infestations
A concerned reader writes: "We live in a traditional Japanese house, and have noticed with some alarm that the step into our "genkan" (hallway) is being eaten away. The wood is crumbling into dust from the inside and spreading. Any idea what might be the problem?"
Most likely this is the work of termites or ants.
Termites, often wrongly called white ants, are highly modified — and destructive — social, cellulose-eating cockroaches. The seven most common ant species are the carpenter ant, the pavement ant, the thief ant, the crazy ant, the field ant, the Pharaoh ant and the Argentine ant. (Yes, really!)