According to officials with the US Department of Agriculture, more than 600,000 homes in the US become infested with termites each year. Unfortunately, San Antonio is located in an area of the country where several species of termite pests are abundant and invade homes frequently. In fact, San Antonio was recently deemed the second most termite-infested city in the country, outranking both Houston and Dallas. This ranking is based on the number of termite infestation complaints received by pest control companies nationwide during 2016. A significant amount of residential areas in San Antonio were developed on land where termites had been naturally abundant. The deforestation that resulted from these housing developments means that a substantial amount of dead roots and other woody plant debris remains abundant beneath the ground in residential areas of San Antonio. This abundance of food sources is more than enough to maintain excessively large populations of subterranean termites for years to come in San Antonio.
The most common termite pest species in San Antonio include eastern subterranean termites, arid land subterranean termites, western drywood termites, and the particularly destructive Formosan subterranean termite, just to name a few. Formosan subterranean termites have maintained an abundant and invasive presence in Bexar County for nearly two decades, and they cannot be eradicated from non-native areas where their colonies have been established. However, populations of this non-native termite pest are most heavily concentrated along the Gulf Coast, and area-wide control measures have managed to slow the spread of Formosan subterranean termites into new areas of Texas. Along with Formosan subterranean termites, the native eastern subterranean termite and the native western drywood termite are also highly abundant and particularly destructive to homes in San Antonio. Considering the high rate of termite infestations in San Antonio, it is important for homeowners to have professional termite inspections carried out by a licensed pest control professional at least once per year in the city.
Have you ever spotted a cloud of swarming termites?
