Termites causing trouble for Riverside residents

City set to place traps, remove infested trees

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Termites are affecting so many homes and buildings in Jacksonville that the city is putting out traps in the coming weeks.

Neighbors in Riverside  might see trees marked with Xs that have been infested with termites to the point the city must remove them.

Termite traps are also being set up along trees throughout Riverside to capture Formosan termites.

“We know that they're spread throughout Jacksonville, but not as widely concentrated as they are in the Riverside area,” said George Richardson, technical director for Peninsular Pest Control.

ONLINE: More information on termites in Florida

The Duval County Extension task force group will meet in a couple of weeks to figure out where specifically they will place the 50 glue traps they have.

Meanwhile, people living in historic Riverside are afraid their homes will be invaded by the termites.

“If you drive down St. Johns Avenue and Riverside, there's a couple houses even tented now, so I think that's raised people's concern a little bit,” said John Stiefel, who's been a Riverside homeowner for 15 years.

Last year, the historic Woman's Club of Jacksonville in Riverside was demolished because the termites were eating away at the building with colonies in nearby oak trees.

Pest control experts said traps need to be put in place so the area doesn't lose any more historic buildings and to protect people's homes.

“It will impact not only the historical structure but any structure,” Richardson said. “Most people's biggest investment is in their homes.”

Experts said people should make sure there's no wood touching the ground around their homes and homeowners should also have bait traps installed to cut back on termite populations.