By Janet Raloff
Out-of-towners flock to New Orleans for jazz, great food, and a chance to amble quaint, narrow streets overhung with wrought-iron balconies. What few tourists realize is that wherever they wander in this city, they’re probably within a few feet of hordes of invasive termites. Indeed, New Orleans–and especially its French Quarter–constitutes ground zero of the Formosan subterranean termite’s North American invasion, entomologists say. The insects are chowing down on wooden structures, from houses to living trees. Consequently, New Orleans has also become a central proving ground for new technologies to find and attack these especially aggressive and resourceful insects.
At least eight southern states, Hawaii, and southern California now host the alien termite known as Coptotermes formosanus. These insects create significantly bigger colonies–and, therefore, more damage–than do their native U.S. cousins, which reside underground and enter buildings only to forage.