But warm, humid climates like Florida offer especially friendly environments. Now an even more aggressive variety, the Formosan termite, is beginning to chew its way through the state. So far, the aggressive pests have apparently not reached the Volusia-Flagler region. While only reaching up the east coast as far as St. Lucie, Formosan termites have caused serious damage in South Florida and in the Tampa Bay area, Su said. But there's still plenty of local termites and other pests to go around.
Termites feed on anything containing cellulose, the main component of wood.
A large colony can consume about one pound of wood per day. The traditional way to fight termites has been by separating wood and stucco from ground contact and spraying chemical barriers to block the insects from entering a structure. Pesticides approved by the Environmental Protection Agency have changed over the years as fears of potential health hazards and groundwater contamination have spread. Last June, the EPA banned future use of the widely used pesticides Dursban and Lorsban for most uses. The chlorpyrifos family of organophosphates were determined to pose a risk to children because of potential effects on the nervous system and possibly brain development.