When winter leaves, the bugs usually arrive. Warm and temperate climates are a big help for insects looking to survive and replicate their little insect bodies all over town. Termites are no exception, and if you live in or have been to one of these cities, you’ve been to one of the five most termite-ridden cities in the USA.
Miami, Florida
The start of Dexter’s haunting title credits always begins with a close-up of Dexter slapping away a mosquito, and it’s little wonder since the show is set in Miami, Florida. Boasting a perfect mix of heat and humidity, this idyllic retirement city is also the national leader in termite infestations. The exotic, warm climate drives the little buggers mad, so it’s not just the elderly looking to make a life in the capital of Florida.
Los Angeles, California
Another heat-filled urban landscape, LA is also prone to quite a lot of rainfall that affects the swarming behavior of most termites.
Tampa, Florida
Coming in at #3 is another Floridian location, Tampa. Humid and subtropical like Miami, this sprawling city also experiences high rainfall followed by intense hot periods – an ideal climate for termite clusters to emerge.
New York, New York
What the Big Apple lacks in heat, it makes up for with PLENTY of moisture. The grime and gritty filth of NY attracts bugs and pests of all shapes and sizes. “What termites need most in life is moisture and New York has no shortage of water. Warmth is less of a need, but it sure doesn’t hurt as their colony sizes and foraging range increase with temperature. That said, New York still gets warm enough during the spring and summer months,” said Glen Ramsey, an entomologist with Orkin. “Lastly, New York’s building construction is aging, which allows for settlement cracks to develop and allow termite entry.”
New Orleans, Louisiana
It’s not just the wooden beads from Mardi Gras that attract termites to N’Awlins. Another subtropical location, New Orleans doesn’t get much of a winter so there’s really not a lot to scare or kill off termites. So maybe go for the plastic beads, just to be safe…
Don’t live in the USA? Termites are destructive all around the world. Brazil has over 500 species alone! One of our friends in Australia, Pest Alert who perform termite treatments in Dubbo, tells of a story where termites cut the power to a major hospital in Sydney once.