| Just like other Agricultural crops, trees are also | | | | ring-bark and sometimes fell young trees. Other |
| susceptible to termite attack and damage. Some of | | | | termite species with devastating attack on |
| these trees could be under cultivation in plantation or | | | | Eucalyptus are Ancistrotermes sp., Microtermes spp., |
| may be preserved as ornamentals or tended as a | | | | Amitermes evuncifer, Coptotermes sp., |
| shade-providing, or maintain as fencing or decorative | | | | Microcerotermes fuscotibialis and Trinervitermes |
| purposes. A good number of them are harvested as | | | | occidentalis. |
| timbers for various domestic, industrial, medicinal and | | | | Delonix regia (Flamboyant Tree) |
| other uses. Termite damage on these trees would | | | | Seedlings of this ornamental tree are attacked in the |
| therefore reduce their value both in content and | | | | nurseries generally, cut at soil level by Odontotermes |
| viability. To stem the tides of attack and strategize | | | | sp., and hollowed out from below by Microtermes sp. |
| on appropriate control methods, the first basic step is | | | | Azadirachta indica (Neem ) |
| to identify the termites, understand their behavior | | | | Larger trees are ring-barked, while smaller ones are |
| and mode of attack. This will enable the controller to | | | | ringed and felled by Macrotermes bellicosus and |
| know how and where to deploy his control measures. | | | | Odontotermes sp. |
| Termite attack on the following trees is described | | | | Tectona grandis (Teak) |
| below: | | | | Seedlings of this tree have been observed to be |
| Cassia | | | | severely attacked innurseries by Amitermes |
| Young transplanted saplings in dry exposed sites are | | | | evuncifer, with smaller subsidiary damage by |
| hollowed out from below by Microtermes sp. and | | | | Microtermes sp., and Microcerotermes fuscotibialis. |
| Microcerotermes fuscotibialis. Matured trees may be | | | | A. evuncifer cuts the seedlings off at ground level, |
| attacked from the site of injuries caused by fungi | | | | while Microtermes and Microcerotermes hollows them |
| and other organisms. | | | | from below. Most of these attacks takes place in |
| Dalbelgia | | | | very exposed nurseries where the young trees |
| Attack on this tree is similar to that of Cassia. | | | | suffer severe desiccation. |
| Seedlings in Nurseries are attacked by Amitermes | | | | In general, termite attack on mature trees is few, |
| evuncifer, which hollowed the stem from below. | | | | while damage is severe on seedlings. In Tropical |
| Eucalyptus spp. | | | | Africa, termite of the subfamily, Macrotermitinae |
| The most consistent and severely attacked | | | | (The fungus growing termites) are serious pests of |
| plantation trees are the Eucalyptus. The most | | | | forest trees. The activities of man to lumber timber |
| devastating termite species on Eucalyptus are | | | | have greatly contributed to the elevation of termites |
| Macrotermes bellicosus and M. subhyalinus. | | | | to “serious pest status” in some instances. |
| Pseudocanthotermes militaris has also been observed | | | | Efforts must therefore be geared up to put |
| to cause serious losses to Eucalyptus in many areas. | | | | effective control mechanisms in place to protect |
| All these three species, including Odontotermes sp., | | | | these trees from termite attack. |