At least 51 of the 65 dams in central China's Hubei Province have been tunneled through by termites, creating a threat to the structural integrity of the reservoirs. The China Youth Daily reported on Thursday that one of the insects' nests found in the Xiao'ao Reservoir near the provincial capital Wuhan was big enough for a small car to fit inside.

More than 160 of the huge nests have been discovered in the embankments of nine large reservoirs and 56 smaller ones.

The dams have varying degrees of damage, prompting officials in Wuhan to use pesticides in an attempt to control the problem before the flood season begins next month.

Subterranean termites are ground dwellers and require contact with soil and a source of moisture. The termites (sometimes referred to as white ants) have posed an ongoing threat to embankments in the region, including the section of the Yangtze River that runs through Hubei Province.