The ants and termites of South Africa's region of KwaZulu-Natal have been given a procreative advantage by the country's exceedingly wet summer and are setting up housekeeping everywhere. Although entomologists anticipated the normal boost in the insect population during December and January, they were shocked to find that the pests are still procreating and wreaking havoc several months later.

Entomologist Marcus Byrne reported that climatic conditions had been optimal for breeding and that termites nests were now so big that they extended for hundreds of feet.

Ryan Ribbink, a spokesman for a local pest control service said, "We treat houses from north to south and have been inundated with calls. The termite and ant problem has not been this severe before."

Termite exterminator Gerald Hackner reported that a colony of one to five million of the voracious termites could destroy a support beam under a floor in two to three months.

Some researchers have blamed the extended severe rainfall that triggered flood ing in the region and in neighboring Mozambique on the weather phenomenon known as La Nina.