'Super termites' set to emerge from Israeli soil in coming days
The termites themselves are yellow-brown, with a honey-brown head. One colony of these insects can reach millions of people and travel up to 100 meters from their nests.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JUNE 3, 2021 14:33Fomosan termite(photo credit: COURTESY TOMER LU TOTAL HADBARA)
A termite dubbed informally as the "super-termite" was found in Israel eight months ago, and now the Environmental Protection Ministry is working towards eradicating the dangerous species from the country, according to N12.A specimen of the Formoson termite, first located in Petakh Tikva, known as the “most damaging termites in the world,” has finally been captured in an underground monitoring station and now the ministry is working towards a plan to rid the Jewish State of this invasive troublemaker.The Formosan termite is known as the termite that is able to eat more and reproduce faster than any other termite.The origin of the species is believed to have come from China, later spread throughout the world following its insatiable appetite.Termites are known for their ability to cause extensive damage that can result in high costs for extermination and repairs. More than a billion dollars in damage is caused by termites each year in the USA alone, according to NPR.The Ministry set up a termite task force in September to work on finding an extermination method and to advise local authorities and exterminators. The task force includes representatives from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, alongside exterminations experts and academics.The ministry is now feeding growth inhibitors to these termites that can lure in and kill an entire nest of these pests. Using underground monitoring stations, Israeli experts are now incorporating the use of this toxic bait to hopefully eradicate the species in due time.The termites themselves are yellow-brown, with a honey-brown head. One colony of these insects can reach millions of people and travel up to 100 meters from their nests.It thrives in hot and humid weather, which is common to Israel, but it is not dangerous to humans, only to the underground infrastructure holding Israel up - knawing through wood, plastic, concrete and soft metals all the same.The termites are expected to take flight as part of its mating season, with the ministry calling on the public to notify them of any sight of these pesky pests.
As part of this natural life-cycle, thousands of termites will be attracted to lighting sources in clusters all around Israel.Israeli experts told N12 that this is the one time throughout the year that Israelis will be able to watch the termites emerge from their nests and fly through the air, and if notified immediately of an observance of this emergence, the ministry can put forth best practices to try and prevent the spread of the termite throughout the country.Zachary Keyser and Eve Young contributed to this report.
