Using axes and picks, workers tore up termite nests the size of toaster ovens Tuesday, as a new battle began against a foreign insect that has seized territory in Dania Beach.
The conehead termite, named for its pointy head, was discovered in Dania Beach in 2001, where it has since chomped its way through dozens of houses, forming distinctive dark brown feeding trails up the sides of the buildings.
About 20 workers from the Florida Department of Agriculture attacked a newly discovered infestation north of Griffin Road and west of Interstate 95. They destroyed more than 25 nests in an attempt to prevent the termite from spreading beyond its current square-mile foothold in the United States.