Termites in a palm tree stump
Palms are a different type of timber and many people falsely believe that termites will not eat them. They are made of cellulose and termites are really interested in anything made of cellulose.
This stump had a large pot sitting on it (See image further down the page) the pot increased the chances of termites feeding on that particular stump. Firstly the pot had a plant in it which would be watered, so the termites had a regular water source. Second the pot was heavy so it was never moved and allowed the top part of the stump to start decaying, a process that plays into the termites hands by providing carbon dioxide as the stump rots which is an attractant and allowing the termites to access timber which is easier to eat whilst giving cover from above.
Palm stumps will be eaten by termites, when made even more tasty by us, they will take advantage.
Termites under this pot that has been placed on a palm stump
It is very common that when a tree is cut down in a backyard (or front yard for that matter) the stump is just left to rot. This can take many years for the process to happen, somepeople try to speed the process by various means, but most (particularly hardwood) stumps will take tens of years to completely rot away. The bigger the stump the longer it will take.
There is quite a danger in leaving stumps in situ and one of those is that when the inevitable pot/ornament/fountain is placed on the stump or a vine or creeper grown over the stump the risk that it will be attractive to termites increases.
Thinking about the total volume of timber (termite food) available in a stump, you only see a small amount of the large root system and this may be where palms are slightly better with smaller roots.
