It's that time of year - get ready for termites again!
Termites fly around street lamps in downtown Shanghai.
Termites are invading residential buildings in Shanghai, and the annual battle against the disturbing bugs is on again.
The winged insects burst into many downtown residents' homes around May 28 and 29 - an annual nightmare.
"Our compound is on Huaihai Road W., at the junction of Xuhui and Changning districts," said Lu Jia, a woman who has suffered from the termites many years.
"I have installed screens on the windows of my apartment, but at night I still dare not turn on the near-window lights, as the termites could crawl in through the cracks."
She said that electrical mosquito swatter has proved a good weapons.
"The best way is to keep your rooms dark," she said.
There are many old wooden houses, which termites prefer, in city center areas.
"There are many old villas on Xinhua Road just beside us, which are full of old wooden structures," Lu told Shanghai Daily.
Residents use electric mosquito swatter to kill termites.
At the same time, some famous historical buildings in city, such as Moller Villa, a colonial-era mansion full of wooden structures, are also under the termites' attacks.
Moller Villa has been renovated as a hotel charged by Donghu Group.
"A great number of termites popped up on May 29 night," said Li Lin, a woman in charge of the human resources department of the hotel.
"And we asked help from the professional institution as soon as we saw the termites to protect its valuable wooden structure," Li said.
"On Monday (May 30), there were not many termites flying around the Moller Villa anymore," she added.
Disinfected termites in Moller Villa
The wooden pillar outside of Moller Villa hit by termites
In some Jing'an District's residence compounds, this year's termites appeared early.
"Those bugs are bigger than last year's," said a woman surnamed Shi, who lives on Minyan Road in Jing'an.
"There are many old communities around ours," a neighbor of Shi added, "I think their nest may hide under a tree nearing our compound."
Shanghai's 24-hour government-run, public-service hotline 12345 had received 1,446 calls as of Sunday from desperate residents who sought help while fighting against the annoying bugs.
"We received an avalanche of calls seeking help to curb termites on Sunday night, and most residents dialing us are from Huangpu, Yangpu, and Xuhui districts and the Pudong New Area," said Zhang Bingjun, deputy director of Shanghai Property Management Affairs Center.
Even Taiwanese singer and fitness coach Liu Genghong (aka Will Liu) was busy handling the little creature in his home workout livestream.
"There are many flying bugs tonight, hope I won't eat one of those things when we are working out." Liu said in his livestream on May 29.
Liu lives in Shanghai and gained popularity recently for his live broadcasts of high-intensity workouts with his wife during lockdown.
Xufang Greenery and Termite Control Center said it received nearly 100 calls on Sunday from residents whose homes had been invaded by termites.
The current humid and sultry weather provides a perfect catalyst for termites' proliferation, exterminators warn.
They appear on streets and in residents' homes, scaring many.
Old wooden houses are the favorite haunt of the creatures, and Yongjia Road, Jianguo Road and Huaihai Road M., home to large numbers of old wooden structures, are some of the worst-hit areas, according to the Shanghai Greenery Management Station.
The city's property management authorities have released a list of 54 professional termite prevention and control agencies that residents can turn to for help.
A three-day campaign to curb termites and mosquitoes was underway in the city since Saturday, particularly targeting garbage disposal sites and collection spots of wet trash.
Termite invasion outbreak usually lasts till June in the city, according to experts.
The bugs prefer humid, warm and quiet places, and the best way to avoid an infestation is to keep windows closed, experts said.
But termites are capable of squeezing through gaps and cracks in concrete to get inside, so barrier strips can be installed under door sills and in wall gaps. Timber products and packaging brought in from outside should be checked closely.
"We were under the attack of termite on May 29," said Peter Li, a man lives on Changjing Road in Changning District.
"The most horrible thing of termites is that they can drop their wings to get into our rooms," Li told the reporter.
People can turn on only one lamp and put a washing basin with soap water under it if they spot termites at home. Termites will be killed after flying into the basin, said Zhang.
But they are advised to get professional help in destroying termite nests, not attempt it themselves.
They should avoid using insecticides which will scare the termite army to move their nests to elsewhere, leading to more harmful results, experts warned.
Dead termites and their wings seen in windows cracks
