At a Glance
- The wood-loving bugs were first spotted near Miami in 1996.
- A tree believed to have been infested by termites fell on a family's minivan in Miami Beach.
- Climate change may be helping the termites spread.
Asian subterranean termites are spreading through South Florida, attacking trees and causing them to topple over more easily in storms, experts say.
"They're either killing them outright or they're weakening the structure in such a way that when the wind blows very hard, sometimes those trees snap and they break apart because the structure is weak," Nan-Yao Su, a distinguished professor of entomology at the University of Florida Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, told weather.com.
Su said the wood-loving bugs were first spotted near Miami in 1996, and have moved farther north up the Florida Peninsula to Broward and Palm Beach counties. They've also been seen as far south as Key West.
Asian termites love warm, tropical temperatures and climate change has likely helped them spread, according to Su.
"If you look at temperature in this area since 1970, it’s steadily rising," he said. "It’s almost a straight line going up every year. And that would prompt those more tropical species to move northward."
A study published last year by University of Florida researchers found that 12 percent of slash pine trees in one residential area of Fort Lauderdale have been killed by the termites, and another 46 percent were infested, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The termites have been infesting homes for decades, but the damage they cause to trees has only been apparent in recent years. Su said it's especially notable because termites usually go after dead or dying trees. In this case, as many as 100,000 at a time are colonizing in live trees, including hundred-year-old pines and oaks.
He thinks that's because the trees don't have natural defenses against the termites, since the insects are relatively new to the area.
In July, a tree believed to have been infested by termites fell on a family's minivan as they were driving through Miami Beach, according to WPLG-TV. The car was heavily damaged, but no one was injured.
Su recommends taking a long, patient approach to eradicating Asian subterranean termites. Treating a tree with pesticide, for example, will just drive them to find another one. The best way to get rid of them is to use a slow-acting bait that spreads throughout the colony over time.
"If we can convince people to kill the colonies one by one in this area, eventually we can reduce the population," Su said. "You cannot treat the symptoms. You really have to kill the source."