Los Angeles is number one on yet another list, but is this one we should celebrate?

Terminix, a provider of termite and pest control services in the United States, released its annual ranking of the most termite-infested cities in the country. Cities in California and Texas dominated the list, earning six of the top 10 spots.

This announcement comes during the National Pest Management Association’s Termite Awareness Week, March 15-21, during which the NPMA educates consumers on termite damage and pest prevention.

The 2015 list of most-infested cities include:

1. Los Angeles, Calif.
2. San Francisco, Calif.
3. Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas
4. San Diego, Calif.
5. Houston, Texas
6. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
7. Phoenix, Ariz.
8. Atlanta, Ga.
9. Sacramento, Calif.
10. Oklahoma City, Okla.
11. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
12. Boston, Mass.
13. Washington, D.C.
14. Honolulu, Hawaii
15. Cincinnati, Ohio
16. Philadelphia, Penn.
17. Baton Rouge, La.
18. New York, N.Y.
19. Kansas City, Kan.
20. San Antonio, Texas

This list was created by compiling termite-specific inbound lead data from the more than 300 Terminix branches across the country. The rankings represent Metropolitan Statistical Areas with the highest volume of leads throughout 2014. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas-Forth Worth and Houston all moved up the list this year, previously holding spots two, eight, five and nine, respectively. San Diego, the previous leader, dropped three spots.

“Termites thrive in warm, moist environments, making southern states like California, Texas and Florida the perfect environment for their destructive behavior,” said Doug Webb, Terminix technical specialist and expert on wood-destroying insects. “But living elsewhere doesn’t mean you’re safe. Termites are active in all 50 states except Alaska, and regularly cause thousands of dollars of uninsured damage across the country.”

According to a recent study from Harris Interactive, the average damage caused by termite infestations is $8,184. Most of the time, this damage is not covered by homeowners insurance.

If you see signs of infestation, such as termite swarms or discarded wings near doors or windowsills, mud tubes or wood that sounds hollow when tapped, contact a professional pest control company for an inspection.

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