The termite, one of the major structural pests in the state, started causing trouble about 1925 when earth-filled porches began to be constructed on homes. By 1932 termites had become a real problem which tended to increase with the trend toward building houses closer to the ground. Postwar building, too, has complicated the problem of wood-destroying insects, because in satisfying lumber needs, a considerable amount of wood already insect-infested in the forest is being cut.
Since 1937 John B. Schmitt has accumulated a considerable amount of information on structural, household, and stored-product pests and methods for their control. He has rendered valuable service to pest control firms and the general public. Schools, fire houses, churches, and other public buildings suspected of termite damage have been examined and economical control procedures recommended. Before 1937 identifications of such household and other insects as were sent in by citizens of the state were made by Carl Ilg.
Since World War II, there has been an increasing public awareness to the whole problem of household insect control, influenced, doubtless, by the demonstrated effectiveness of DDT against bedbugs and other pests and of chlordane against cockroaches and ants. The present-day emphasis on housefly control has also been significant. There is more and more demand for fundamental research in the field.
In the fall of 1955 Harold C. Chapman started work on a regional project on stored grain insects.