On a worldwide scale, one of the biggest topics in pest control is termites. You always hear about people having problems with termites, or pest controllers getting rid of termites. But what’s the story when it comes to Britain? Do we have termites in the UK, and is this something that you should worry about?
Should you worry about termites in the UK?
The basic answer is no. Termites are generally not known to live in the UK. The simple reason why is because most of the UK is far too wet for termites. That being said, this isn’t the entire story. You see, there has been one case of termites in the UK.
This happened in Devon, where a colony was found beneath two bungalows. According to newspaper reports, it all started when the owner noticed what appeared to be white ants on her property. Before long, these ants were eating through the conservatory, and destroying other parts of her house.
Pest control was hired and an assessment made. Because this was such an anomaly, other experts were called in. These experts formed something known as the termite eradication programme. It was decided that these pests should be completely eradicated before they could spread to other areas.
What is there to know about termites in the UK?
But why was this area afflicted with termites, when these pests are not found anywhere else in the UK? According to the experts involved, there were several reasons. First of the all, the properties were built on light and sandy soil. This soil drains easily, which meant that the termites were not affected by the wet. Secondly, the bungalows were built near pine trees, which is what termites most love to eat.
Despite the fact that there are no more termites in the UK, you still have to be careful. But why? Because there are other insects that eat wood and can therefore damage your home. The best example of this is woodworm, which causes millions of pounds of damage each year. Another example is problems with carpenter ants in the UK, which can also be pretty destructive if left untreated in your property.
Something to bear in mind is that in the future you may have to watch out for termites because of climate change. With the weather getting warmer every year, there’s a good chance that termites may become endemic to the UK eventually.
Main termite photo courtesy CSIRO licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.