It seems that climate change is all set to trigger changes that are way beyond its expected scope. Florida seems to be the point of origin this time with the world's two most feared termites crossing with each other and reproducing at the breakneck pace.
The Asian and the Formosan termites that are responsible for almost $40 Billion loss globally are the most feared pests worldwide especially for home owners who employ the use of various kinds of pesticides to kill the above as published by the Reuters.
Moreover, research has found that the Asian Males seem to prefer the Formosan females which bring the total of individuals in a colony to 160 in one year as opposed to only 60 in single species colony.
The entomology professor of University of Florida, Nan-Yao Su, remarked that the hybrid offspring of these termites could increase the loss of property globally. She also added that this would affect the home owners in a shorter period of time from their conception, as per reports by The Guardian.
Su went on to add that it was impossible to ascertain if the termite colonies were fertile or sterile till the colonies were about five years of age when the kings and queens typically begin to emerge in the colonies. In case, they turn out to be fertile, the impact could spread beyond Florida in a much shorter span of time as per the researchers.
Furthermore, it has been observed that this hybrid of the two species of termites can be attributed as a major consequence of climate change which has led to the overlapping of swarming season and territory for both the species which used to be different prior to 2013.
It is sincerely hoped that method to contain these pests are soon devised to save the general public the agony of losing their properties to them.