New Orleans is bracing itself for the latest swarming of termites, which are thriving thanks to several years of warmer weather. The insects already cost the city $130m a year in damage, and the plague is getting worse. Our Environment Correspondent Robert Pigott went to see the voracious invaders at work.

Harold Bohn is not pleased to be moving out of his house in State Street but he knows that unless it is fumigated the termites will take over.

"At my time of life I wasn't looking for this upheaval. But they tell me it's the only way to save the house," he says.

Look down State Street, shaded by the magnificent oak trees for which New Orleans is famous, and the Bohns' house stands out.

Among the elegant timber houses with their ornate verandas it is conspicuous in a huge orange and green tarpaulin tent.

Full Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_728000/728125.stm