Tiny clear wings are scattered across the windowsill by UF professor Andrew Thoron’s desk.
The wings, split wood and tiny holes are the only evidence of the termites that live on the third floor of Rolfs Hall.
For the past three years, Thoron — an assistant professor of agricultural education — has called UF Environmental Health & Safety about the problem, but he said there have only been temporary solutions such as spot treatments in which a chemical was used to kill termites when the infestations were small and localized.
Thoron said he remembers the termite issue when he was a graduate student about six years ago. He said he can sometimes hear termites chewing away at the wood while he’s in his office.
“It just kind of makes you wonder how bad it’s infested if you can hear the termites,” he said.
The termites in Thoron’s office are drywood termites, said Don Orth, a pest management worker for UF Environmental Health & Safety. There is no prevention for this species, he said.
Orth said spot treatment can be effective if the treatment is applied in the nest. He said another treatment called structural fumigation is also available, but it’s expensive.
During fumigation, the entire building has to be covered tightly with tarps, and gas such as sulfuryl fluoride or methyl bromide is pumped throughout. The oxygen is consumed and replaced by the gas to kill the adult termites. The larvae termites cannot survive without the adults.
Orth said fumigation is almost 100 percent effective, but he is not sure if UF is looking into that option or not.
He said the university does not have the proper equipment to carry out fumigation and would have to reach out to a private consultant.
UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes wrote in an email that the cost to fumigate Rolfs cannot be determined at this time.
“An outside commercial fumigation service will have to be consulted,” she said.
Sikes said fumigation is an option, but the university is still evaluating all its options. She said there is evidence of termites dating back to the mid-1990s.
Last week, there was a spot treatment in Thoron’s office. Sikes said the process took about an hour and cost about $100.
Ed Osborne, chairman of UF’s Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, said he believes the third floor of Rolfs Hall — and possibly the whole building — is infested with termites.
“(Thoron’s) office is the worst,” he said.
Osborne said he has seen termite wings in his office and throughout the building for about 10 years.
For now, Thoron said he will continue to call UF Environmental Health & Safety about the issue and clean his office of termite residue regularly.
“I hate to tell people, ‘Don’t mind the wings on my desk,’” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 - 4 on 3/11/2015 under the headline “Termites that plague Rolfs Hall won’t be cleared any time soon”]
Photo of termites
