1. INSECT AND MITE PESTS
OF TEA
UP COUNTRY LIVE WOOD TERMITE
Postelectrotermes militaris
2. INTRODUCTION
• Scientific name
: postelectrotermes militaris
• Family
: Katotermitidae
• Type
: pest (insect/mite)
• Common names : up country live wood termite
• Host plants
: Tea ( camellia sinensis )
4. Eggs
• Eggs are minute and kidney shape.
• Transparent
• Eggs hatch within few days
5. Nymph
• Nymphs are able to produce majority of colony
workers.
• These workers do maintance ,feeding young's
and cleaning .
• No further development in worker termites.
• Some of the nymphs converted to
supplementary reproductors.
• These supplementary reproductors able to
produce eggs by parthenogenesis.
• Some of these nymphs convert in to a stage
called Brachyopterous nymps.
• These nymphs only have wing pads.
• Some convert into Alates .
• They have wings.
6. Adult
• Usually occur in up country tea plantations. Up country
confined to Maskeliya, Nuwaraeliya.
• Elevation is above 900m
• Usually remain as colonies. Single colony usually
confined into a single tea bush.
• Single colony consist of large number of individuals
3000-5000.
• These adult termites enter into the tea bush through
roots.
• When the colony reach maximum stage they migrate
from one tea bush to another tea bush via root
contact.
7. Damage
• Up country live wood termite gains entry into
the tea plants through the roots and construct
galleries within the woody tissues of the roots
collar and the finally branches
8. Damage symptoms
• When branches are affected prune cuts made at the
time of pruning would show cavities filled with fecal
matter and occasionally the termites as well.
• During the period of moisture stress one or two
branches on a bush may also show signs of wilting. Since
such wilting caused for reasons other than termite
infestation .
• Several branches tend to break off from the collar
region
