Thousands of houses have been damaged by termites in a city of Southwest China’s Guizhou province, China News Service reported on Thursday.

Since July 2012, termites have been rampant in Xingyi city, damaging 4,500 houses and forcing the relocation of more than 1,700 people, according to the province’s civil affairs department.

The termites have caused a direct economic loss of 34 million yuan ($5.45 million) by the end of Feb 6, it said.