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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.
Formosan termites are not native to the United States and were introduced from the Far East in packing crates and other wood products during World War Two.
Massive infestations in and around New Orleans have become endemic along Lake Pontchartrain and at the naval shipyard in Algiers.
The termite swarm set social media abuzz as people shared pictures of the infestation in the night sky
However, the large majority of the termites never manage to find a place to mate and burrow and die on the ground in their thousands as they fail to find shelter.
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.
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.
I Need More Bug Spray: One man holds aloft his weapons against the bug infestation last night in New Orleans
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