Termites frighten South Florida residents
It's South Florida's termite season, but this year a "super termite" species is reportedly starting to scare South Florida pest-control experts.
The Formosan termite is larger and hungrier than most species found in South Florida, and it has begun to spread, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.
Once seen only in southeast Broward County near Fort Lauderdale, Formosan colonies are now being reported as far north as Lighthouse Point, as far west as West Hollywood, and even in the Miami-Dade County area.
Florida's year-round tropical climate is ideal for subterranean termites like the Formosan, which were brought into Florida on Chinese ships about 25 years ago.
But the Formosan termites eat six times as much as other termites and are twice the size of other species, the newspaper reported.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International