In 2020, the presence of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes was detected for the first time in Lanzarote. This species, native to North America, has been introduced and established in numerous countries, both in America and Europe. "Due to globalization and international trade, this species is considered one of the most damaging subterranean termite pests in the world," reads a press release issued by Desert Watch Lanzarote.
The Doctor of Biology David Jesús Hernández Teixidor from the Ecology and Evolution in Islands research group of the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC) will give a conference at the Sociedad Democracia Arrecife this Friday, May 12 at 6 p.m. on this issue. The talk is called 'Subterranean termites in Lanzarote. Problems and management measures against this invasive species'.
The Reticulitermes flavipes is a "social insect with a high degree of reproductive and ecological plasticity, and with complex population and colonial structures that facilitate the colonization and invasion of new environments." According to this note, its presence has been recorded in the Canary Islands since 2009, although it is estimated that it may have arrived in the early 2000s (Tenerife). During that period it has expanded through various municipalities affecting buildings, street furniture, crops and native and ornamental plant species. In 2020 it was detected for the first time on the island of Lanzarote.
Faced with this problem, various public institutions have agreed to contain and try to eradicate this invasive termite. A strategy has been developed for the management, control and possible eradication of this species, while urgent measures have been taken to stop its expansion, such as: the control and eradication of known termite outbreaks, the search for new outbreaks, the management of elements affected by subterranean termites and information to the population. At the same time, there has been a commitment to the development of research that improves the knowledge of the species, the control measures and the possible secondary effects that the treatments could cause.
