ST. LOUIS, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of last year's hurricanes and flooding, more than 70 percent of Southern U.S. homeowners say they are as or more concerned with termite and fire ant infestation today than they were a year ago, according to a new survey of 1,500 homeowners. That spells a lot of angst among the 40 million U.S. residents living in areas infested by the imported red fire ant, not to mention the 80 percent of American homeowners who do nothing to protect their homes from termites. "While it is early in the season, retail orders for fire ant and termite control products are up over last year at this time," said Jim Guard, marketing director, who manages Spectracide(R) termite and fire ant control products, which are offered by Spectrum Brands. Consumers this spring have more options than ever in the battle against these pests that cause damage to both property and person. In fact, termite damage is estimated to cost U.S. homeowners more than $1.5 billion a year and fire ants threaten public health -- their fiery bites inflict mild to severe pain on humans, pets, and livestock. Hiring a pest control company will be a popular option, but similar products are also available for do-it-yourselfers at home improvement and lawn and garden retailers. Termite bait systems, which help monitor for the presence of termites, were washed out by flooding in many neighborhoods. Homeowners now can purchase Spectracide's Terminate(R) Termite Detection & Killing Stakes and place them around their homes to battle against termite infestation. An indicator pops up when the stake, filled with termite bait, is attacked by foraging subterranean termites, warning the homeowner of termite activity and alerting them to take additional action. The stakes utilize active ingredient TransFlur(R), an insecticide that kills the attacking "worker" termite. http://www.spectracide.com
