Termites Gaining Stranglehold In Vacant Florida Homes, Say Local Exterminators

On the west coast of Florida, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports:

• If anyone is getting fat from the downturn in the housing market, it might be drywood termites. Exterminators are witnessing larger and more active swarms of the pasty monsters than they have seen in years. The problem is bad enough that some exterminators have waiting lists of up to six weeks for infested homes from Tampa to Charlotte County, the area where swarms seem to be centered.

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• The evidence points to the fact that termites have been ignored in homes that are bound for foreclosure or where tight budgets have left no room for home inspections. The life cycle for termite colonies to get big enough to swarm and move on to different houses coincides with what has been happening in the local market, which has been in its current malaise for going on three years.

For more, see We see more empty homes. The termite sees a buffet (Exterminators say the hungry insects are gaining a stronghold in the area's unoccupied houses).