More investment. That is the only way to eradicate the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes, which for more than two years has caused significant damage to homes, urban furniture, gardens and crops in Tacoronte, La Laguna and other minor ones in municipalities such as Santiago del Teide and Arona. These conditions put people’s safety at risk and generate significant economic losses.
Exactly two years ago, the Tacoronte City Council estimated the investment necessary to permanently combat this species at about 9 million euros, which it requested to be included in the catalog of exotic and invasive species.
The truth is that after this time it was the only thing that was fulfilled since the destined game is still scarce. In the General Budgets of the Autonomous Community, specifically in the Capital Transfers section, a subsidy of 300,000 euros was initially approved for the ‘perimeter sanitary cord for the control of underground termites’, an amount that was later increased due to the amendment presented by the Cabildo de Tenerife while the group of Citizens made a request in this regard in the Parliament of the Canary Islands.
This figure, which is still scarce, is added to the 1,049,189 euros contemplated for next year in the island accounts.
The initial 300,000 euros, initially allocated by the Canarian Executive, will be invested exclusively in baits that will be distributed in areas that were pending to be covered in Tacoronte, La Laguna and Santiago del Teide, confirms the counselor of the Environment and Security area, Isabel García .
With the remaining money, more staff will be hired – specifically three workers – to be able to cover more territory, more quickly in order to continue to intensify the areas with less bait, he adds.
García confirms that for the moment the situation “remains stable” and the plague “is fenced off, controlled and has not continued to expand,” presenting “almost scarce activity in some areas of Tacoronte such as Parque Atlántico, Puerto de la Madera, the Guayonge, Garimba, or the San Juan ravine ”. The same certifies the Councilor for the Environment of the northern municipality, Carmela Díaz Vilela. Activity is also “very low” in Arona and La Laguna.
It should be remembered that some colonies of Reticulitermes flavipes are so large that, through galleries through the ground, they occupy an area of up to 34,000 square meters, the equivalent of five football fields and a number of approximately 1,700,000 insects. This reference helps experts to know where the baits are placed in order to prevent them from spreading and that also helps to improve the treatments to combat them.
New order to Tragsatec
For this reason, Isabel García took to the last island government council the proposal for the public company Tragsatec to continue the service of actions of urgent measures in the management, control and eradication of this insect, whose contract ended on January 4. The objective, he emphasizes, is that the work is not interrupted.
“For our part, the tranquility is that the situation is under control but the uneasiness is that it is necessary to invest, which is what is needed to eradicate,” insists Díaz Vilela.
In a similar vein, García pronounces: “I believe that the regional administration has understood that it is a very aggressive pest and therefore it is appropriate that it make a greater effort to fight this species of termite and dedicate more money. To give it good braking it would have been ideal to have at least 3 million for next year ”.
Although this species was detected in Tenerife at the beginning of this century, it is in the year 2017 when the problem caused due to the damage that was detected in buildings in Tacoronte, until now the most affected municipality, became aware of the problem it causes.
The economic damage that it produces is reflected in the report commissioned by Tragsatec, which details that in 2010 the annual cost of the control and repair of subterranean termites worldwide was 32,000 million dollars.
Educate, inform and negotiate the price of baits
Isabel García emphasizes that the Cabildo continues with the educational and informative function around the underground termite, in addition to checking all the stakes and baits one by one and negotiating with the supplier company the price of the hexaflumuron treatment “because they are quite expensive”
