California cities rank high for termites, study says
California leads the nation in crop production, motor vehicle purchases and solar power installations.
And, according to Memphis-based pest-control company Terminix, the Golden State is a prime location for termites.
Terminix released its annual ranking of “the top 20 most termite-infested cities in the country” this week, and California landed four cities in the top 10.
Sacramento ranked ninth, below Los Angeles and San Francisco, which ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and San Diego, which was No. 4.
Texas held its own with Dallas-Fort Worth ranked No. 3 and Houston coming in at No. 5. San Antonio rounded out the Terminix list at No. 20.
Other top 10 cities were Miami-Fort Lauderdale, sixth; Phoenix, seventh; Atlanta, eighth; and Oklahoma City, 10th. Terminix said its list was created by compiling termite-specific data from more than 300 company branches across the country.
“Termites thrive in warm, moist environments, making southern states like California, Texas and Florida the perfect environment for their destructive behavior,” Doug Webb, a Terminix technical specialist and expert on wood-destroying insects, said in a statement. Webb added that termites are active in all 50 states except Alaska.
Call The Bee’s Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.
This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 12:19 PM with the headline "California cities rank high for termites, study says."