There has to be something that makes it different. I doubt it is humidity, could be the heat, but I'd have to guess it is the saltwater. This is one of the most humid areas of the country, like a jungle in summer, hot and usually lots of rain, steamy and green; plenty of rain and snow with very little sunshine the rest of the year. It takes about 3 yrs. for a solid old (antique, one plank wooden bench or chair to disentegrate enough to fall apart at the joints if it is left outside all year round with no paint or treatment, no roof or cover. About the same to turn the bottoms of the legs black and completely rotten if they sit someplace where the water doesn't drain and has to wait for evaporation. Bugs may or may not be as bad here as in the south. I don't know. People who have wooden houses have to treat for termites here too.