The Daring Dufas wrote:

Here in Birmingham, the Southeast US one, you leave a
house vacant and the AC unit will be gone or shredded
within a few days. Later, all the wiring, copper pipes
and fixtures will be carted off by the metal termites.

The haven't touched the copper or AC units (yet). Fortunately, the price
of copper went back down, so those kinds of thefts have dropped as well.

The *did* take the wood stove though.