Miyazaki Prefecture is one of Japan’s leading forestry prefectures, and in particular, the production quantity of cedar has been the highest in Japan since 1991.
One of the features of Miyazaki cedar is that it contains a lot of resin.
Since it contains a lot of oil, it was often used as a material for shipbuilding in the past.
In addition, the core material of Miyazaki cedar (red meat part) has long been known to be effective in preventing termite damage, and has been used as the foundation and pillars of houses.
Wood researchers have focused on this characteristic of Miyazaki cedar’s termite resistance, and have repeatedly researched it to find out that the components β-eudesmol, sandaracopimarinol, and 16-phy11ocladanol in the heartwood are active ingredients for killing ants.
As a result of conducting a comparison experiment of termite feeding damage by arranging Obi cedar side by side with white wood and red wood, the degree of feeding damage is lower than that of white wood and red wood, and the strength of Obi cedar against termites has been confirmed.
In addition, the oil (essential oil) contained in cedar has a mild and good scent and is used for aromatherapy.
However, termites don’t like this scent and don’t get close to it.
In addition, it is said to be effective against mites.
A study of an apartment complex found that after refurbishing floor carpets with wooden flooring, mites, which is one of the causes of allergies, decreased.
The reason seems to be that the humidity control effect of wood and the components contained in wood work effectively, and at the same time, gaps suitable for habitat have disappeared.