The Smithsonian, Washington Monument, the war memorials, and the White House – these are sites in our city that bring national pride to millions of visitors each year.

Out of sight, however, our city is plagued with a different kind of visitor – one of the non-human variety – that instead of admiring our city’s infrastructure, tends to gobble it up ravenously. I’m talking, of course, about the termite. It’s scary to think that there are more “termite tourists” in our city at any given time than there are people, and the facts get scarier than that. Here are 10 frightening facts about termites:

1. Termites never sleep. They work furiously for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until they die. This also means they produce massive amounts of methane gas from their bodily fluids.

2. Over 5 million homes in the U.S. are experiencing termites.

3. Termites can pass through cracks as small as 1/16” between concrete or other flooring. This includes traveling under floor tiles to get to the wall frames they’re so hungry for.

4. Queen termites can live for up to 25 years, and can produce as much as 10,000 offspring every year, or one every 15 seconds.

5. The weight of termites on Earth vastly outweighs the weight of humans on Earth.

6. Termites exist in every U.S. state except Alaska, and in some areas are so prolific that as many as 7 million will exist in a single colony.

7. Termites consume as much as 3 percent of their body weight each day. That would be like a 150-pound human eating 450 pounds of food every single day.

8. It isn’t likely that your homeowner’s insurance covers termite damage, yet these wood-eating monsters do more damage in the U.S. than natural disasters like fires, storms, and earthquakes.

9. Termites do an estimate $5 billion in damage in U.S. homes every year.

10. When termites are disturbed, they will spread into other areas of a building.
That means that if you discover them in your home, you should avoid taking matters into your own hands and call a professional immediately. Green Pest Services has the expertise to safely and effectively remove these troublesome tourists before they can eat another bite. Even if you haven’t spotted a swarm, call us today for your annual termite inspection.