"Termites are among the world's most destructive pests, causing more than a billion dollars in damage each year in the U.S. alone. Scientists in Florida have tracked the development of a new hybrid species of termite — one whose colonies grow twice as fast as the parent species."

"Researchers say the new "super-termite" is even more destructive than other species and may carry a significant economic cost."

"Thomas Chouvenc, a researcher and entomologist with the University of Florida, moved from France to South Florida for one reason: to study termites. "I come to work every day and I get surprised every day. Termites will do things you just don't expect," he says."

"South Florida is one of the few places in the world — along with Taiwan and Hawaii — where the two most destructive termite species coexist. Neither the Asian nor the Formosan subterranean termite is native to Florida."