Termite busters from Zhejiang have been sent to Beijing to rid the Forbidden City of the insect scourge eating away at the imperial timber. Xinhua reported on Sunday that workers renovating the 700-year-old buildings, also known as the Palace Museum, found the tiny insects munching through some of the complex's wooden structures. Liu Endi, a restoration specialist from the Palace Museum Administration, did not deny the termite report, but would only say the report was flawed. An administration spokeswoman yesterday said there had been restoration work at the complex but refused to say whether it was linked to termites. Xinhua reported that a research team, including Mr Liu, travelled to Deqing county in Zhejiang late last month to assess an innovative termite-trapping technique. Exterminators lure the insects into a trap, spray them with pesticide, then release them to kill the rest of the nest through contact. The report said that earlier last week, four specialists from Deqing visited Beijing to help wipe out the termites at the Palace Museum. The presence of termites at the national monument would be a huge embarrassment to its administrators, because the government earmarks millions of yuan each year for its maintenance. The infestation is just the latest to beset Beijing's monuments. The American white moth, a destructive plant-eater, was found in the Temple of Heaven last week.
