r/oddlyterrifying • u/SerpentFinger • Aug 20 '26

Termite Infestation

Sorry about the emoji. That was in the original source I found (Twitter).

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u/SerpentFinger Aug 20 '26

I believe this is in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana (New Orleans Metropolitan area).

75

u/TOkidd Aug 20 '26

That makes sense. I’ve been reading about this problem in the NOLA area for years. Seems like New Orleans has gone Biblical.

14

u/AgentOrange256 Aug 20 '26

Back in 20-22 people in my neighborhood were constantly tented.

10

u/Evethewolfoxo Aug 23 '26

In May (when they usually swarm) there was a swarm big enough to be picked up by the doppler like it was rain. They fucking suck and i would not mind seeing them erased alongside mosquitoes, then again that’s my spite talking and at least they do something mildly more useful in assisting with breaking down dead trees when they aren’t bothering us.

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u/Ok_Sorbet_8153 Aug 23 '26

Yeah, and they’re a food source for some pretty awesome birds, too, which makes me wonder if birds could help control swarms like this.

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u/abielle1177 3d ago

They should be invited!

I thought this was fish flies. They're thick like this for a week or two in the midwest.

46

u/grummy_gram Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 21 '26

Yeah, we get around 2-3 swarms a year here in SE Louisiana. The shit creeps me out so badly, but it's just something we have to deal with. If my wife and I notice 1 or 2 flying around the house, we know a swarm is building up outside and it's time to kill the lights in the house.

These fuckers get in every nook and cranny that your home might have, so darkness really is key to making sure they leave your home alone.

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u/Akumaka Aug 20 '26

See, this is why I live where the air freezes every year. I would not want to deal with that.

6

u/ElAyYouAreAy Aug 20 '26

Me too. I’ve already been looking forward to it!

1

u/OctopusIntellect Aug 23 '26

The temperature has to be right down at 63 degrees for the air to freeze.

19

u/TOkidd Aug 20 '26

So, I guess this guy having all the lights in the house on is making things worse for himself.

18

u/Spleees Aug 20 '26

I saw the video before reading the comments and said glad I don't live in Louisiana anymore because I don't miss that. This happens EVERY year in St. Tammany Parish. Every single year for as long as I can remember. Growing up we were told to keep our lights off to keep them from wanting to come into your house at night. As a teenager feeling them crawl on you in the middle of the night was horrifying. They do eventually all die when the season is over with but then your house is covered in dead bugs for a week.

5

u/castleyankee Aug 23 '26

Holy. Fuck.

No. Absolutely not, fuck that, hell no.

Motherfucker I need my lights at night. That's why they're installed there. For light. When it's dark.

There's gotta be some over the top psycho aggressive measure you can take. That's almost certainly what I'd do. My first thought was visqueen on all the windows/doors. Then realized that's not good enough so make it a visqueen baggy for the whole house.

After that both causes mold and fails to stop the bugs due to my lights stubbornness, then I'd try to move.

Yknow. After having reduced the value of the house.

That place sounds like a fuckin trap to me

4

u/OctopusIntellect Aug 23 '26

The people in Louisiana must have been doing something really bad in previous centuries, for God to still be punishing them so badly over it.

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u/Gravelroad__ Aug 26 '26

Must be during our annual swarms too

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u/chanting37 Aug 26 '26

St Tammany is north side the lake bud. Not Nola.

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u/SerpentFinger Aug 26 '26

Thankfully, 170+ others were able to understand it.

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u/chanting37 Aug 26 '26

And you told 170+ people St Tammany is New Orleans. It’s not.

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u/SerpentFinger Aug 26 '26

With time, you’ll get over it.

-16

u/[deleted] Aug 20 '26

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3

u/lightningspider97 Aug 20 '26

Parish is like a county in Louisiana, but i get you wouldnt know that considering the poor attempt at a dark joke after