Termite infestations have been an issue within homes and buildings in New Orleans since the city was founded by European colonists centuries ago, and since then, the rate of termite infestations has continued to increase with each passing year in the city. However, the 1980s saw the most significant increase in termite infestations within the Big Easy, as this decade saw the emergence of the invasive Formosan subterranean termite species. The Formosan subterranean termite is now the most common termite species found within homes in New Orleans, and these destructive insects inflict millions of dollars in property damage each year within the city.

Before the Formosan subterranean termite was accidentally transported to Louisiana from its native Asian habitat, the native eastern subterranean termite was the most common and destructive termite species in the city. In fact, the eastern subterranean termite is the most economically damaging, as well as the most widespread termite species within the United States. With the exception of Louisiana, the eastern subterranean termite is the most common termite pest found in homes in every US state where the species is native. It is rare for an exotic insect species to dominate an area where it is not native, but the Formosan subterranean termite has become the most difficult termite species to eradicate within the US.

The Formosan subterranean termite is constantly expanding its territory in Louisiana, as this species can now be found in several Parishes, including Avoyelles, Cameron, Concordia, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Evangeline, Rapides, St. James, Tangipahoa, Vernon, Washington, and West Baton Rouge. In addition to these Parishes, the destructive termite species may now be established within Algiers, as a local resident, Kara Cosse, has been struggling to control an infestation within her apartment on Garden Oaks Drive for nearly three months, and the managers at the apartment complex do not seem eager to have the infestation eradicated. According to Cosse, she has contacted management numerous times about the pests, and they responded by sending a maintenance crew to “treat” the termite infestation only once last month. Unfortunately, not a single member of this maintenance crew was licensed to handle the insecticides required to eliminate Formosan subterranean termite infestations, and they were clearly unqualified for the task. The termites in Cosse’s apartment unit have consumed an entire corner of her bedroom wall, and according to a pest control professional who viewed video footage of the damage, the unit is clearly unfit for human inhabitants. For her own safety, Cosse and her two infant children are now living with a relative.

Have you ever lived within an apartment unit that became infested with insects?