FAIRFAX VA. (January 24, 2018)<\/strong> \u2014 What happens if you take half a million termites and set them loose in a tiny, built-to-scale dream house? No, it\u2019s not the start of a bad joke. It\u2019s the premise behind the Tiny Termite House, the National Pest Management Association’s<\/a> latest research project. A team of researchers is set to release 500,000 termites, the size of an average colony, free in a custom, miniature house, while capturing all the riveting, non-stop destruction on high-definition video. Anyone wondering what\u2019s going on between the studs in their own home, can wonder no longer, as this first-of-its-kind footage will reveal just how quickly an active termite infestation can destroy Americans\u2019 greatest investments \u2014 our homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is plenty of video out there of termites simply eating through wood, but our goal is to film exactly how the colony socializes and works together within the smallest cracks and crevices of a real-life home to tear it apart,\u201d said Cindy Mannes, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. \u201cOftentimes, homeowners are completely unaware that termites could be gnawing away at their property\u2019s structural stability until it\u2019s too late. The footage we are gathering demonstrates how these silent destroyers collaborate quietly and quickly to traverse up and down the spaces between our walls, and helps to identify the prime conditions that let them thrive.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The tiny, two-story home will have many of the same features as an actual home in Anytown, USA, such as insulation, plumbing and electricity \u2013 other amenities include hardwood floors, a beautiful kitchen and a balcony overlooking an in-ground swimming pool. Like most of American homes, the house is being constructed on a cement slab. However, there is one big difference \u2014 this house will be fully equipped with cameras throughout to study its 500,000 residents\u2019 progress from introduction to decimation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n