Termites

While you're puzzling over what and where to plant this spring, you'll also need to make sure you're not building highways for hungry hordes of termites to attack your home. "Homeowners rarely consider termites in landscaping, but planting and mulching too close to the home's foundation could make the home extra appealing and accessible to termites," says Richard Roll, president of the American Homeowners Assn., a Washington, D.C.

Subterranean termites are the most destructive insects in the United States and they appear to be on the increase (the only major American city free of termites is Fairbanks, Alaska). Drywood termites and carpenter ants also damage structural woods, but they are not as ferocious as subterranean termites and are not found in all areas of the United States. Most wood-eating insects like warm, or at least moderate temperatures. Northern states are reporting more infestations each year.

Worms have forced the closure of Rome's Borghese gallery, home to one of Italy's finest art collections, the Culture Ministry said Sunday. It said that wood-eating insects, including worms and termites, were gnawing their way through the frames of masterpieces by 17th-Century painter Caravaggio as well as priceless antique furniture. The gallery, which also houses marble and stone sculptures by Caravaggio's contemporary, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, will be closed from Sept. 26 to Oct.

Termites are bad news wherever you live. Extermination and termite-proofing are best left to professionals. But it helps to know how to look for termites and how to hire a reputable exterminator. Spotting termites is difficult because they usually leave no visible trace of damage--the workers eat the softer, interior parts of wood. But if left undisturbed for several years, termites will destroy large areas of wood. The one-fourth-inch subterranean termites are the most destructive.

Orange County is known for its mild climate, but the mix of heavy rains and salty air creates a breeding ground for termites. Their destructiveness costs homeowners an average of $2,500 to treat an entire house.

Subterranean termites, slightly smaller than their drywood cousins but more numerous, cause the most destruction nationwide. They live underground in colonies with 250,000 to more than a million inhabitants, tunnel up to feast on wood, and tend to swarm in search of new homes during the spring.

Americans are being eaten out of house and home by termites to the tune of about $750 million a year, according to a home inspection service. "Although the figures for the number of homes infested each year in the United States vary," says Kenneth Austin, chairman of Housemaster of America, "government sources put the estimate at about 2 million homes."

A termite inspector checking the attic of a home abandoned by a family that defected to the Soviet Union last year discovered a home-made videotape titled "The Way We Were" that explained their abrupt flight. Lauren and Arnold Lockshin and their three children, Jenny, Jeffrey and Michael, flew to the Soviet Union on Oct. 8, 1986, and sought asylum, saying they were being persecuted in the United States for their communist beliefs.

Walter Ebeling, author, inventor, university professor and bug assassin, unveiled Wednesday his latest weapon in the never-ending war against termites and other creatures that can burrow into wood and destroy entire houses. It's called Thermal Pest Eradication, and it uses heat to literally melt termites away. Ebeling says it's the most effective nontoxic way of killing drywood termites, carpenter ants and powderpost beetles.

We recently sold our home in the Valley Village area of North Hollywood. The transaction went smoothly except for one matter--termites. When the house was inspected, we learned there were termites, and it needed to be tented. Several years ago, we had termite work done, so were surprised the place needed tenting. We were advised by our real estate agent that the house would not pass inspection without the tenting, so we agreed to it. This is the part that bothers me: We received disclaimers from the termite company relieving them of any damage to our roof.