By CLEOPATRA MURPHY

Freeport News Reporter

If home owners thought a hurricane was the only thing they had to worry about, think again.

A new species of termite have been discovered on Grand Bahama and it is said to be a particularly aggressive breed.

Hue Ferguson operations manager at Budget Pest Control revealed that he came across the Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, a destructive species of termite while inspecting a commercial establishment in the Port Lucaya area on Tuesday.

"This species of termites is known worldwide as the most aggressively destructive termite in the world," Ferguson noted.

According to Ferguson this is the first time this termite species has been identified in The Bahamas.

He added that the discovery is a game changer for both home owners and persons in the industry.

For home owners, Ferguson said if left untreated an infestation can lead to homes being destroyed swiftly.

"The ferocity of these termite attacks on structures is such that significant structural damage can occur within six months of an infestation," he explained. "Within two years a house can literally be destroyed so it is something that the community needs to know about and something that we in the industry should know about."

Ferguson explained that in The Bahamas we generally have two species of termite - Reticulitermes flavipes, a subterranean termite which lives underground in the soil and dry wood termites.

He noted that Coptotermes formosanus is a kind of subterranean termite but what distinguishes it from the native species of termite and makes it so dangerous is that they can be in a structure with no soil contact.

Ferguson added that they can be in ceilings, ships or walls.

In addition, Ferguson noted that the colony size of the Coptotermes formosanus presents an even greater problem as it can dwarf the size of native termites.

"Our native subterranean termite species, the Reticulit-ermes flavipes would have a colony size of around 250,000," said Ferguson. "The Coptotermes formosanus colony size can number eight million or more."

While he is unsure of how long the species has been on the island, Ferguson said that from speaking with persons in the area who have seen significant flurries and numbers of termites escaping the building and the extent of the damage on the establishment he inspected, they may have been there for a year or more.

He added that he believes the primary mode of transportation of the termites are pallets and railroad wood.

"They can also move by ships so you can bring them in on your yacht. You can have an infestation there and they can literally leave there and infest nearby buildings."

He added that this will have a significant impact in the industry as companies will have to adjust their methods of handling infestations.

"It turns upside down the whole protocol that has been established as to how you deal with subterranean termites," said Ferguson. "We have got to go back now in terms of teaching our technicians how to recognize this as opposed to the regular termite and how to adapt your treatment methodology to incorporate the additional steps you have got to take to deal with the species."

He noted that Budget Pest Control has been monitoring the species for the last 10 years because they had anticipated that the species would make its way to The Bahamas.

While he said the company can manage the new species, it has wracked up a hefty bill in Louisiana where the government and private entities have been trying to manage infestations.

"In Louisiana they have spent literally billions of dollars over the last five to 10 years without much success because their historical buildings are being des-troyed," Ferguson noted.

While he says he is certain that the species of termite he discovered is the Coptoter-mes formosanus, Ferguson is sending a sample to the University of Florida so it can be confirmed by Dr. Rudy Schreffrahn.

He said Schreffrahn is a noted entomologist and researcher who has done a lot of work with the species.