#formosans

(via Formosans in Japan (LOC) | Bain News Service,, publisher. Fo… | Flickr)

The scene plays out like a low stakes #horror film. // A lone light shines at the back of an old house, the kind where the floorboards prevent any real secrecy. Something definitely moves in and out of the faint sightline. Up close, suddenly something multiplies into somethings. They attack, and quick pulsing sensations happen all around before any single point of contact can be seen. Try as you might to defend yourself with whatever’s nearby—a flyswatter (again, *low stakes* horror)—this amorphous legion of other cannot be subdued. Complete darkness merely manages to put chaos on pause. // The only proof of struggle the next day? Wings. Dozens of ‘em scattered across floor, counters and coffee mugs. The Formosan subterranean termite war wages on. // Native to China, these winged warriors came to #NOLA during WWII by stowing away in packing crates. An old city with ample humidity quickly grew into a “damp and delicious” home according to @WCurtis in the #AmericanScholar. // Now these swarms essentially cause the flurry of tents found around large Uptown residencies each June. They can reportedly consume a pound of wood per day. And the CD-like discs found on sidewalks across the city mark #NOLA’s most comprehensive defense—damp wood traps buried underground. The bait contains poison, the #Formosans retrieve it for a colony, small victory for the humans ensues. // But Curtis reports that no city/unwanted host has ever managed to eradicate these beasts. Annually, they drone in swarms towards light like the most stereotypical zombies do to flesh. Only the upcoming storm season manages to send this odd plague away for another year, but they’ll be back. Storms. Winter. Construction. Then after a short and pleasant Spring, Formosans come next. // Via, https://theamericanscholar.org/aloft-2/#.VW-waVxViko