The Cabildo de Tenerife has eliminated more than 500 termite outbreaks on the island through 8,192 baits installed with biocide. Specifically, there are 523 points in which the termite has been eliminated, of which 279 are located in Tacoronte, 204 in La Laguna, 16 in Arona and 24 in Santiago del Teide.
In total, 12,386 wooden stakes have been installed on the island to detect the presence of ‘Reticulitermes flavipes’ and 8,059 stations with the biocide in those points infested by the plague.
Between the two they add up to 20,445 control points, to which a budget of around 2 million euros has been allocated.
In addition, as explained in a statement by the Minister of Natural Environment Management, Isabel García, an early detection and rapid intervention system is being carried out, through which any citizen can notify the possible presence of the species.
After the warning, a team is mobilized to check if it is the termite, and in that case the necessary treatment is carried out to guarantee the elimination of the population.
Most of the foci in which termite activity occurs are in the municipality of Tacoronte, specifically 193, followed by La Laguna with 16 and Santiago del Teide with two.
This project, which is in phase two or control, includes 5,472 stations in Tacoronte, 2,341 in La Laguna, 126 in Arona and 253 in Santiago del Teide.
The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín, and the Minister for Management of the Natural Environment and Security, Isabel García, visited this week one of the “hot spots” in the Tagoro area, in Tacoronte.
There they were able to verify how the plague “recedes perceptibly” after the installation of the biocide baits, according to the person in charge of the work Juan Pestano, belonging to the TRAGSATEC company.
“We see how the treatment is advancing at a good pace, and we have been able to verify, in situ, how the presence of termites has been reduced in areas where two years ago it was manifestly active, such as this area of Tacoronte,” said the president of the Cabildo, who he valued the work of the crews on the ground.
“The real-time GPS tracking of the baits and stakes also provides almost millimetric control of the evolution of the pest, which is perimeter and bounded,” he said, “and no new focus has appeared, so we can Calm down,” said Martin.
At this time, he added, “it can be ensured that several outbreaks have been completely eliminated”, specifically that of Arona and Los Naranjeros.
And there are some in which activity “is very little and they show signs of elimination”, such as the so-called ‘ground zero’: Parque Atlántico urbanization, Puerto de la Madera, Guayonge highway, Garimba, Barranco de San Juan, La Barranquera and Santiago del Teide.
On the contrary, there are still four points where insect activity remains high: El Pris, Tagoro, the area adjacent to ‘ground zero’ and Valle Guerra.
