At it Once Again

The termite infestation in the Western Division, in particular, the Lautoka area is now a concern for the affected residents. The termites continue to eat up homes and crops but the related authorities are no where to be found in the area containing the problem. It is time that the concerned authorities look in to the matter to find a permanent solution the the problem.

Protecting What Exactly

 After running around for the Bio Security Story... I was really exhausted and frustrated with the Bio security Authiority of Fiji for not answering the emails as I had to write a piece for University of the South Pacific(USP) Journalism newspaper, Wansolwara. If you can get hold of the November issue, you will find pretty good articles, all thanks to my Lecture. I will be posting it on my blog as well. I will be taking a trip down to Lautoka and then you will be able to read on live reports.

What Strategy now?

 The Bio security Authority of Fiji (BAF) is concerned that despite continuous awareness and advice on the precautionary measures needed to be taken during termite swarming season, many residents in Lautoka are still not adhering to it. There are many residents who continue to be excessive in their use of lights in the evening.
Residents have also been asked to light small fires in a controlled area outside their homes so the termites get attracted to it and burn themselves in the fire.
Termite swarming is common during this time of the year as it was part of the termite life cycle when they developed wings and flew to other areas to start new colonies. Once termites enter the homes they are likely to shed their wings and form new colonies.
The government had organised for Operation Kadivuka to take control of the termite eradication process but it now it seems like there will be no eradication as the Asian Subterranean Termites (AST) as it has been in Fiji for the 30 years.
It is alarming to know that these small insects were really preyed on after residents complained about it eating their houses and also the food supplies, what were the authorities doing before that.
Now the termites are infesting the trees and forestry so this could affect our agriculture and forestry industry
BAF was privatised after the termite incident broke out from the Ministry of Forestry.
It looks like the relevant authorities did not conduct any tests of any anything and are never on the lookout for the pests that may be in the country unless they a hear a complain about it.
The government has spent a considerable amount of money on the control and containment of the termites and some progress has been seen but this does not equal to the difficulty the affected residents are facing when rebuilding their houses.
So when will all this end?
The forestry department says that all construction timber is treated and every piece of timber that is sold at the hardware shops should a marking on it , that is, the branding on the timber.
The President of the Fiji Saw Millers Association says that not all the timber is treated because sometimes those that are working at the treatment plants do not treat timber which they deem durable so this could be a possible cause for the increase in termite infestation.
To this the forestry official said that it is poverty that is causing the increase of termites. Those that are rebuilding their houses get timber that is not treated and has been lying around so the infestation increases. Also that people get firewood from the forests in the Tavakubu in Lautoka and these logs are infested with termites.
It is surprising to learn from the residents of the area that even those BAF officials also take firewood from the same forest.
If poverty is the problem, the the government should have provided for these individuals because word from them is that they are rehabilitating all the houses that were affected.
Money should be spent on prevention and not on the cure as it is far more expensive and in Fiji's case, money can not just be spent sparingly.
This is the advice from world termite expert Professor Paras Nath, who is Fiji National University's new Dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

This sort of insect pest management uses methods that include crop variety, time of sowing, use of recommended doses of fertilizer, inter cropping, plant spacing and irrigation intervals, while biological methods involve biodiversity manipulation, use of microbial pesticides, conservation of natural enemies, predators and parasites, plant products, animal products such as cow excreta and urine, mechanical methods such as sticky traps, pheromone trap, bait trap, light trap, and chemicals.

It would be wise if the relevant government authorities look into this as soon as possible. 

Officials Prevent Termite Eradication

I took a trip down to the west on Tuesday afternoon and barely missed out on the bus to Lautoka. I had tried really hard to get my Lecturer to send me down to Lautoka to do the termite story so lucky the bus did not go without me
A lot has been said about the termite issue and reporting has only been done on how the BioSecurity Authority of Fiji has been helping the affected residents to rebuild the houses.
After my visit to the affected area of Tavakubu, I now have a fair idea of what the situation on the ground is and the extent of damage that the termites can do.

Termites are often called the "silent destroyer" because they may be secretly hiding and thriving in your basement or yard without any immediate signs of damage. While each termite species thrives in different climates and eats different types of food, all termites require four things to survive — food, moisture, shelter and optimal temperature. Unfortunately, all homes, regardless of their construction type, can provide these ideal conditions for termite infestation

Residents complained on how lazy the workers are and how they demand for special treatment to get the work done and how some of the workers want special treatment.
One resident complained about how workers had asked for a party to celebrate the construction of one art of the house and when the residents did not agree to it, they started to do a lazy job on the rest of the repairs.
The people pay their taxes and they deserve to be able to use the funds to be able to repair their houses as the termite infestation was beyond their control.
The resident said that he had informed the authorities in 2009 about some small funny creatures eating on the ceiling of his house but he said that an official laughed at him saying what harm the small creatures could possibly do, well I bet now they can see the extent of the damage.
The resident apparently spent close to $12 000 on repairs to his home. He also said that apart roofing iron and steel basically eat everything.
He also said there are no regular visits to check on the progress of the affected residents as the termites are coming back.

Termites on a Roll

So it looks like that they are back and once more attacking the timber here in Fiji. This means that households should be careful in case the small creatures come in and eat away the structures of the house. Termites were noticed in large numbers in Western side of country in October last year and they are back for the same month this year.

Termites are small insects which feed on timber and now reveletions are that they are also feeding on plastics, paper and other related products.

Termites in Fiji’s western division are now attacking food sources, something the Operation Kadivuka team dreaded would happen when the termites' food source was disturbed. A family in Buabua had raised concerns that their cassava patch was heavily infested with termites. Mr Ratucicivi said the team visited the area and confirmed that the termites were also attacking food sources for humans.

Biosecurity officials say that they are looking into the issue and trying its best to reduce the termite but it seems that it is not an easy job since they are trying to contain the termites since last year. October is the month when termites come out in swamps and try to look for places to build their colonies. This happened leat October and the relevent authorities should have looked into this and should have had plans in place to contain this issue.

The awareness is being created now, when the termites are already out, what were the Bio security team doing during August and September, this is when they should have been visiting the areas that were affected and providing people with information on how to avoid the termites or on ways to destroy it since the areas that were affected last year are the same years that are affected this year.

What has happened to operation "Kadivuka", the so called operation that was put in place to eradicate the termites. Where has the money gone from the operation? How successful was the operation and what method was used to destroy the termites. Was the operation fully funded to be able to afford the chemicals required to fumigate the houses or was alternatives used which were cheap and obviosly did not do the job.

People who built their houses through hardwork cannot see their houses being taken down by the termites which are small but have created alot of damage. The issue of termites and its eradication should be seriously looked into. proper funding should be alocated and its high time that Bio Security of Fiji think of the long run and not of short term cures to a problem.

Soon the termites will find something esle to feed on apart from timber and those mentionad above and then what will happen. The Saw Millers Association of Fiji should also investigate the standard treatment of timber and if there are illegal saw millers in Fiji that are selling timber that is untreated and this attracts the termites.

Time will only tell if the termites will be fully destroyed. It seems like that the big bosses are so far away from the affected areas that they cannot see the plight of the affected people. It is time to get out of the offices and serve the people.