Federal Housing Infested with Termites

The rain's kept most of us in, but it's also brought some unwanted guests in. Termites have taken over one Springfield apartment complex. WTOC found residents fed up and tired of waiting for them to leave them alone. There are thousands of dead termites on Gladys Tolbert's kitchen floor. Her daughter, Betty Godbee, noticed them taking over her mother's complex at Spring Hollow Apartments yesterday morning.

"They were crawling everywhere out from under the refrigerator the molding from the walls and all," Godbee said.

They called the manager who brought over some bug spray--it's helped a little--but Godbee still worries the termites are still lurking.

"These things were in her bed in the clothing," she said. "She can't get up, she doesn't move around."

The manager at this federal housing complex, Carrie Shoemaker, says getting rid of the termites isn't a money issue. She told us a pest control professional has been called.

"We are funded by rural development, but they're not going to tell us no," she said. "We're going to get it done, that's one of things we have to do."

And the family's just hoping they get it done soon. The manager tells WTOC they are paying a pest control professional to drill inside apartment walls and spray foam that will kill the termites. They are also putting bait stations in the ground.

Reported by: Elizabeth Garcia, egarcia@wtoc.com