Termites discovered near downtown Guelph

Workers pile logs at a softwood lumber sawmill in Saguenay, Que., in this 2008 file photo. (Jacques Boissinot/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The City of Guelph is surveying 450 properties north of downtown Guelph in a bid to find out how much of the neighbourhood has been infested with termites.

A total of 90 properties have been searched so far, with termites found on 12 of them – all located on King Street between Palmert Street and Eramosa Road.

“It looks like somebody moved them here. It’s a small-point infestation, it’s probably not as large as we initially feared,” says Dr. Tim Myles, the city’s termite control officer.

City officials had initially thought the termites may have flown across the Speed River from a part of Guelph known to be a termite habitat, but this week’s discoveries – 12 infested properties surrounded by termite-free land – suggests the insects were brought in from an outside source.

Although most termite infestations can be removed via minor chemical treatments, Myles says occasionally more major treatments are called for – sometimes costing upward of $5,000.

“Termites real strike fear in the hearts of most homeowners,” says Myles.

“They’re one of those things like fire or mould that can be very expensive to remediate.”

Guelph currently has three ‘termite management areas’ encompassing 869 properties.

It is one of 30 Ontario municipalities, most located in or around the Greater Toronto Area, to have been infested with the insects.