Today I was listening to NPR and Diane Rehm’s show on antibiotics “New efforts to curb the overuse of antibiotics in animals and people” and also ran into this article Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on the Rise. It got me to thinking about how bugs have been around for a very long time probably older than 250 million years and their use of antibiotics. “Termites develop their own antibiotics”.

“Termites cause $40 billion in damage every year, worldwide, and researchers say the insects have developed an ingenious defense against pesticide: They make antibacterial nests out of their own poo.”

The article above goes into length about Formosan termites, located in Louisiana and surrounding areas with plenty of water. This abundance of water allows termites a greater chance to do damage and survive and puts the East Coast of the US in that very heavy chance of termites and damage. In Arizona this lack of water helps to keep the termites in check and limit extensive damage (I have seen some pretty bad damage but in general not often). This is the reason why Arizona is in that heavy infestation and also why the termite activity gains momentum during monsoon.