The Cabildo of Tenerife reinforces the means to combat the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes, an invasive exotic species detected for the first time a decade ago in Tacoronte, but which already affects four other municipalities, specifically, La Laguna, Adeje, Arona and Santiago del Teide.
The objective is to prevent the pest from expanding and moving to protected natural areas close to the affected areas, such as the Anaga rural park or the Acentejo coast.
To this end, four people join the Tragsatec team this month, the public company in charge of eradication, in order to reinforce field work, mainly in the southern part of the Island, where some outbreaks must be controlled. new ones in which it is necessary to give a little more intensity to the treatment.
This reinforcement and its subsequent monitoring are two of the demands that the affected municipalities have transferred to the Cabildo Natural Environment area and that will reinforce the work carried out by Mulan, Kiara and Mafia, the three dogs that have been trained to detect Reticulitermes flavipes, improve effectiveness and save costs when eradicating it.
Furthermore, for next year, the insular Corporation designs a more powerful information campaign so that citizens know about this species that has brought and brings so many headaches to the residents of the aforementioned localities, “because there are still those who see them.” and he does not know what specific insect it is and the damage it can cause,” the technician of the Biodiversity Unit of the Insular Environment Area, Guacimara González Delgado, told this newspaper.
“People can call, send us a photo to do a small preliminary identification and screening and then go to the place to check if it is Reticulitermes flavipes and in that case, act immediately,” says González Delgado.
This department works based on two main lines, one of precaution, so that it does not affect protected natural spaces, and another of obligation, as it is included in 2019 in the national catalog of invasive exotic species.
