Formosan termites spreading in Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 31 (UPI) -- Formosan subterranean termites, also known as "super termites," are spreading through Florida, an entymology professor said.

The destructive termite has spread to the area around St. Petersburg, Fla., Rudolf Scheffrahn of the University of Florida in Fort Lauderdale said.

Scheffrahn said the Formosan termite is considered one of the world's most destructive termite species, generating large colonies and eating at an extremely fast rate, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday.

The Formosan, which is native to China, was first spotted in the United States in 1957. There is no way to eradicate entirely it once it has infested an area, the newspaper said.