The annual report on the most termite-infested cities in the United States has recently been released. Although Louisiana is well known for its termite issues, this is the first year that the city of Shreveport made the top 30 list. Louisiana cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge were expected to make the list, as they typically do, but Shreveport’s listing indicates that Formosan subterranean termite colonies are becoming more abundant within the city. The cities are ranked based on the annual number of termite treatments per household.

Shreveport was listed at number 24, while Lafayette was listed at 43, and Baton Rouge was at the top at number three. The biggest surprise, however, was New Orlean’s absence from the list. This is the first year in which New Orleans was not included on the top 50 list, and usually the city ranks within the top ten due to the city’s high population of Formosan subterranean termites. Business owners and residents of New Orleans spend a whopping 300 million dollars annually on Formosan subterranean termite control and damage repairs, and structures in Louisiana sustain the greatest degree of damage from these highly destructive termites when compared to all other states.

Formosan subterranean termite swarms emerge in Louisiana every year during May and June, and the frequency of these swarms typically peak around Mother’s Day. However, it is not uncommon for Formosan swarms to occur during April or July in the state, but these swarms are generally smaller in size. Witnessing a swarm on your property should be cause for alarm, as this indicates that an active colony is located nearby. In these cases, a termite inspection should be carried out on a property. Formosan subterranean termites are considered the most destructive termites in the world, and Louisiana happens to be one of the most Formosan-infested locations in the world.

Have you ever witnessed two different termite species take flight, not necessarily at the same time? If you have, did you notice any observable differences between the two swarms?