The waves of visitors have left New Orleans, La., after this year's Mardi Gras celebration. However, one group of unwelcome visitors will remain.
Thought to have arrived on a military transport from Asia shortly after World War II, the Formosan Termite has been waging its own war on the historic buildings of New Orleans, some of which are over 300 years old.
When combined with New Orleans' moist Gulf-coast climate, the old wood of the Spanish style buildings in the old quarters of the city is a paradise for the variety of termite that is often just called the "super termite."
The Formosan's have earned this epithet from it's amazing abilities compared to most ordinary termite varieties.
Aside from their ability to consume tremendous amounts of wood, the "super termites" can build tunnels stretching up to 300 feet, which is about three times farther than most termite species.
The termites have also spread to other states in the Southeast, by hiding out in railroad ties that were recycled by incorporation into new wood structures.
The species has also made appearances in California, Florida, Mississipi, Alabama,and Texas. One 1998 estimate placed the damage caused by the termites at $300 million a year.
The city of New Orleans has had such difficult with the Formosans that it established the Mosquito and Termite Control Board for the express purpose of dealing with those two pests. One of the strategies was to enlist the aid of University of Florida entomologist Nan Yao Su.
In a drastic departure from the traditional method of applying pesticides to the ground surrounding a structure, which Su criticized as not very effective, he has utilized a Trojan Horse technique that makes the termites their own worst enemies.
His strategy involves placing softwood blocks, termite fast food, in infested areas. Once termites are attracted, those blocks are replaced with poisoned bait. The poison is slow acting and so was transported back to the group, were it was spread.
In the end, many more termites can be killed by this method, contended Su. The system also avoided poisoning the soil with pesticides.
Now that this method has been introduced, some success has been noted.
Traps that make wandering termites stick to them are used to estimate local termite populations, and the number of trapped termites has been going down.
With its limited success so far, it looks like next year's Mardi Gras celebrations will be able to continue as planned with less of these pesky uninvited guests.
