Postelectrotermes militaris

Postelectrotermes militaris (Up-country tea termite) is a species of drywood termite of the genus Postelectrotermes. It is native to India and Sri Lanka.[1] It is a serious pest of tea.

Up-country tea termite
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Blattodea
Infraorder:
Isoptera
Family:
Kalotermitidae
Genus:
Postelectrotermes
Species:
P. militaris
Binomial name
Postelectrotermes militaris
(Desneux, 1904)
Synonyms
  • Calotermes militaris Desneux, 1904
  • Calotermes militaris unidentatus Kemner, 1926

Importance

It is one of major plant pest that attack wide range of economically important plants such as Acacia decurrens, Camellia sinensis, Casuarina equisetifolia, Cedrus sp., Cinnamomum camphora, Cryptomeria japonica, Erythrina subumbrans, Eucalyptus robusta, Grevillea robusta, Stenocarpus salignus, and Tephrosia vogelii. It mainly affects roots and stem parts, and sometimes to whole plant.[2]

Biology

Alates are rare in P. militaris colony. They invade bushes and mainly found in heartwood, never consume on sapwood.[2]

Control

Termites can be removed by crop sanitation and pruning methods. Cultivating disease-resistant crop varieties is also practiced on tea plantations. Besides that, usage of natural pests and pathogens is not effective. Some soil-borne entomopathogens, such as entomopathogenic nematodes such as Heterorhabditis sp., Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema feltiae can be effective in natural areas up to some extent.[2][3]

References
  1. "An annotated checklist of termites (Isoptera) from Sri Lanka". National Science Foundation. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  2. "dry wood termite (Postelectrotermes militaris)". Plantwise Technical Factsheet.
  3. "Distinctive morphological characters of termites in high and mid grown tea in Sri Lanka". CABI. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
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