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Formosan termites newest pests It appears a new pest is headed this way, and home and building owners are urged to be on the lookout for them. Formosan termites, also called Supertermites, were first identified in 1905 in Hawaii. Over the next hundred years they made their way to various parts of the continental United States. The termites were found in Mobile in 1985 and several cases were verified in the past year in north Monroe County. "It's predicted they'll be in our area within the next year or two," said Jim Hudson of Terminix. The Formosan termite is larger than the Eastern subterranean termite, which is common to this area. They also build larger colonies. A Formosan termite colony can contain as many as 10 million termites and nests are built within walls and other enclosed spaces in a structure. Colonies built close together tend to band together and share food resources rather than fight. Once established, nests are difficult to destroy. Treatment options include removal of the nests by opening the wall, treatments with aerosol or foam termiticide applications or whole house fumigation. "These termites can be found as far as 100 yards away from the nest looking for food. They continuously test the chemical barriers trying to find a way to get through them. We've found the best way to treat them is with Termadore," Hudson said.
"They're really bad and can do a lot of damage in a short period of time. They're so bad in Louisiana that when people move here from there, that's the first thing they ask us about," he added.
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