ABC 7 - Termite activity is considered to be "very heavy" in California and other southeastern states, and the options to rid your home of the destructive insect are limited and often expensive.
But new research at UC Riverside is showing that help might be on the horizon.
The two basic strategies to control termites are fumigation, which saturates the wood with toxic gas, or a localized injection of insecticide in an area where termites have been spotted.
"We have to drill the hole. Somebody has to inject the insecticide into the wood. It's very labor intensive," explained Dr. Dong Hwan Choe, an associate professor of entomology at UC Riverside. "Sometimes, it's challenging because the termites are not going to be in the area that is accessible."