New Orleans was struck by tens of thousands of swarming Formosan termites on Wednesday night causing hundreds of thousands of people's skin to crawl. Resembling something out of a creepy disaster movie, the termites made for any car headlights, streetlights or lit homes they could find in residential or commercial areas. Usually the termites swarm like clockwork at the beginning of May, but with cooler temperatures in the New Orleans area combined with drier air the termite outbreak was delayed until last night's warmer conditions.
The Formosan termites flew across the New Orleans area in their tens of thousands last night
The termite swarm set social media abuzz as people shared pictures of the infestation in the night sky
Termites are everywhere
A termite on nest on average takes about five years to reach a size where the new colony creates versions of the insect with wings to restart the cycle.
Mature termite colonies can have as many as 5 million individual insect members.
There were so many termites in the sky that pigeon were forced to stay on their perches
I Need More Bug Spray: One man holds aloft his weapons against the bug infestation last night in New Orleans
The termites were brought over from the Far East in wooden containers during the Second World War
Formosa termites are common in southern states - and their mating season usually begins in late April or early May - thi
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