Archive for 'foreign news'

Don’t Let Termites Eat Your Money Away

Banknotes destroyed by termites

Yes, termites can eat your money away, literally!  We are not just talking about these pests devouring portions of your home, boats, furniture, paintings or antiques.  Termites are again in the news for almost eating away around $65,000 of banknotes stashed away in a wooden drawer in China. Fortunately for the old lady in Guangdong Province, bank employees were able to identify about 85% of the damaged banknotes.  Nonetheless, the act of ignoring the threat posed by termites cost her close to $10,000. A couple of years ago,…

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Termites are not just structural pests to control

Termite Gut Microbial Bioreactors

When the word “termite” is mentioned, “pest control” almost always comes to mind for most of us.  But do you know that the same capability that made termites pests to our homes also contributes to our well-being? In nature, termites break down wood that may otherwise remain as wood for a very long time.  Imagine a world where dead trees and other plant materials pile up and ecosystem processes hampered because no animal is capable of digesting cellulose.  Decomposing wood makes nutrients that are locked in trees available…

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Termite Control is the answer

Elin Nordegren's mansion courtesy of Pacific Coast News

Termites was the answer to the question: Why did Tiger Woods’ ex-wife level a $12 million mansion?  All the speculations about the reason behind a seemingly whimsical act of Elin Nordegren came down to the reality that a tiny insect pest can ruin a beautiful mansion. Yes, termites can do that to any building from the smallest of shacks to the palatial mansions, and termite control is the answer to this problem in subtropical and tropical urban areas. The culprit could be the eastern subterranean termite or the…

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