Termites ravage Nakasongola
Mar 06, 2005
TERMITE activity in Nakasongola district is one of the major militating factors against increase in agricultural output, tree planting and infrastructural development.
By John Kasozi
TERMITE activity in Nakasongola district is one of the major militating factors against increase in agricultural output, tree planting and infrastructural development.
The termites have contributed to low crop yields, loss of pastures, woodland degradation, soil erosion and silting of rivers, valleys and parts of Lake Kyoga.
The district authorities put the loss of maize crop in the garden and in stores at about 60-70 per cent. The termites eat up the tree and crop stems.
“They are very destructive. I was away for two weeks and they ate up all my books in the shelf. We no longer use wooden doors or windows,†says James Bond Kunobere, the district environment officer.
Kunobere says the first buildings put up in 1998 under the Teachers Development and Management Systems (TDMS) programme were all destroyed by termites. The roofing timber was destroyed, he says.
“You cannot leave your clothes out overnight. You will find them eaten up by the termites the next morning,†he says.
Kunobera says Nabiswera, Nakitooma, Kalungi and Lwabyata sub-counties are the worst hit areas.
He says in Migyera village in Nabiswera sub-county, about 30 acres of land have been destroyed by termites.
The tiny termites known as the subterranean are more destructive than the ones found in anthills. They live in large numbers and are well-coordinated.
The cattle corridor has lived with the termites for so many years. But the 21st Century has seen a dramatic increase in their activity.
The prolonged drought accelerates termite activity. The changes in the district ecosystem seem to favour termite activity now more than ever before.
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through Nalukonge Community Initiative Association (NACIA), a community-based organisation carried out a research in 2001/2002.
NACIA’s objective was to combat desertification through termite control. The main initiative was to control termite activity in a friendly way and restore the degraded areas by revegetation. The programme included control of soil erosion by contours.
It also included re-afforestation by planting termite-resistant trees. These are neem tree, pine, ficus (mutuba) and nitrogen fixing plants.
Another measure was to fence off the highly degraded areas and reduce livestock numbers. This would involve shifting of kraals to other places to allow regeneration since cattle dung contains seeds.
Kunobere explains that the first claim states that the increment in the termite incidence is due to the demand of green vegetation and water.
“This is why they are more active during the dry season,†he says.
The second postulation states that frequent outbreak of tickborne diseases resulted in an increase in the frequency of spraying acaricides.
It is believed the acaricides may have eliminated termite enemies in the food chain.
The third postulate, which is historical, states that the these termites (kaseregete) originated from Ethiopia.
TERMITE activity in Nakasongola district is one of the major militating factors against increase in agricultural output, tree planting and infrastructural development.
The termites have contributed to low crop yields, loss of pastures, woodland degradation, soil erosion and silting of rivers, valleys and parts of Lake Kyoga.
The district authorities put the loss of maize crop in the garden and in stores at about 60-70 per cent. The termites eat up the tree and crop stems.
“They are very destructive. I was away for two weeks and they ate up all my books in the shelf. We no longer use wooden doors or windows,†says James Bond Kunobere, the district environment officer.
Kunobere says the first buildings put up in 1998 under the Teachers Development and Management Systems (TDMS) programme were all destroyed by termites. The roofing timber was destroyed, he says.
“You cannot leave your clothes out overnight. You will find them eaten up by the termites the next morning,†he says.
Kunobera says Nabiswera, Nakitooma, Kalungi and Lwabyata sub-counties are the worst hit areas.
He says in Migyera village in Nabiswera sub-county, about 30 acres of land have been destroyed by termites.
The tiny termites known as the subterranean are more destructive than the ones found in anthills. They live in large numbers and are well-coordinated.
The cattle corridor has lived with the termites for so many years. But the 21st Century has seen a dramatic increase in their activity.
The prolonged drought accelerates termite activity. The changes in the district ecosystem seem to favour termite activity now more than ever before.
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through Nalukonge Community Initiative Association (NACIA), a community-based organisation carried out a research in 2001/2002.
NACIA’s objective was to combat desertification through termite control. The main initiative was to control termite activity in a friendly way and restore the degraded areas by revegetation. The programme included control of soil erosion by contours.
It also included re-afforestation by planting termite-resistant trees. These are neem tree, pine, ficus (mutuba) and nitrogen fixing plants.
Another measure was to fence off the highly degraded areas and reduce livestock numbers. This would involve shifting of kraals to other places to allow regeneration since cattle dung contains seeds.
Kunobere explains that the first claim states that the increment in the termite incidence is due to the demand of green vegetation and water.
“This is why they are more active during the dry season,†he says.
The second postulation states that frequent outbreak of tickborne diseases resulted in an increase in the frequency of spraying acaricides.
It is believed the acaricides may have eliminated termite enemies in the food chain.
The third postulate, which is historical, states that the these termites (kaseregete) originated from Ethiopia.