Seven 100-yuan eaten by termites are displayed in Jinjiang, Fujian Province. Their owner, a 70-year-old woman surnamed Cai, recovered only a portion of her cash after the critters gorged on a stack of 10,000 yuan ($1,625) stored in her closet. Photo: IC

A 70-year-old woman in Jinjiang, Fujian Province has nothing left to bank on after termites ate through 10,000 yuan ($1,625) of her stashed savings.

The pests gnawed through the stack of cash the woman surnamed Cai had been saving for eight years in her closet.

It was on Tuesday that Cai checked on the money to discover her nest egg had been feasted upon, according to Cai's daughter.

Cai's family painstakingly collected 5,900 yuan in nibbled banknotes and took them to two local banks.

Both managed to verify and exchange a total 1,950 yuan.

Cai could be asked to return some of the money if bank officials reject any incomplete notes, bank employees warned Cai's family members.