In an effort to raise awareness to Florida residents about their risk of structural damage resulting from termite activity, Thomas Chouvenc, Ph.D., came up with a visual analogy to explain why it is important to inspect your house regularly, especially in areas where these termites are established. He created a small two-dimensional replica of a house (30×20 centimeters and 2 millimeters thick) in a flat, enclosed arena, let loose a young Formosan termite colony into it, and watched it unfold over time. With only 2,000 termites in this young colony, it took only three weeks to turn the replica into poop.