Hybrid termite colonies confirmed in Florida, raising concerns over spread and damage

[Liberty Belle]

3. We had these in La Mesa, CA 25 years ago. I had a fun interview holding officials' feet to the fire.

Two state agencies were arguing over whose jurisdiction this was; Agricultural was claiming not theirs since the Formosan termites were found at a residence.

I was writing for San Diego's largest newspaper at the time, as a freelancer. So I called the CA Dept. of Agriculture in Sacramento at lunchtime and lucked out; amazingly the director answered the phone. After he denied any responsibility to eradicate the invasive termites and said they were not a threat to agriculture, I asked him what California's #1 and #2 crops were. Acting as if I was stupid, he replied, "Oranges and avocados, of course."

I fired back, "Did you know that these Formosan termites were not found in a house, but eating up citrus and avocado trees on the owner's property?"

Lots of stammering ensued, and I'm pretty sure the guy never answered the main office line at lunch time again.

That was my last assignment for that newspaper, as I wound up suing them for copyright infringement of several hundred of my freelance works that they resold without permission. But I never heard about those termites spreading, so pretty sure that interview resulted in appropriate treatment to eradicate them here. They can level a house in three months--voracious little beasties!

My lawsuit, by the way, was joined by major writers' groups and expanded to file against most major newspapers in North America. It took over two decades, but we ultimately won a landmark settlement of many millions of dollars for freelance journalists across the U.S.

I live in La Mesa, and have caught termites in a jar and had them checked over the years. Thankfully they were all native varieties.