News

Termites swarming season starts, Fijians to be alert

September 14, 2020 6:15 am

Fijians living in Lautoka and Labasa are being advised to be alert as the swarming season of Asian Subterranean termites has started.

Fijians living in Lautoka and Labasa are being advised to be alert as the swarming season of Asian Subterranean termites has started.

Once termites enter homes they are likely to shed their wings and form new colonies, destroying wooden structures.

Biosecurity Authority of Fiji Acting Chief Executive, Surend Pratap says more than 5,000 homes in parts of Lautoka and Labasa have already been infested by termites.

Article continues after advertisement

“The Asian subterranean termites are currently infested in the areas of Lautoka district from Saweni to Drasa and then in Labasa, we have from Naseakula to Vunika.”

Pratap says the damage caused by these termites run into millions of dollars thus the need to stop it from spreading.

“Currently what we are trying to do is we are trying to contain and control this termite within the infested zone and preventing any movement of house material from these areas to the outside because through this movement of house material we can easily spread the termite to other parts of the country.”

The government has introduced legislation to prevent people from unknowingly spreading the Asian Subterranean Termites.

Moving materials from infested zone to other areas without seeking approval can result in fines ranging from $5000 to $100,000 depending on the type of offences.