Many different kinds of termites damage cassava stems and storage roots. Termites live in soil or in nests above the ground. They can also be found in tunnels on the surface of cassava stems. Termite nests contain worker, soldier, queen, and king termites. Worker and soldier termites are the ones you normally see when you break open the nests.
The workers and soldiers are small insects with white or brown bodies and brown heads. They may or may not have wings.
Worker termites cause all the damage to crops and feed all the other members of the nest. The soldier termites fight off other creatures which may enter or destroy the nest.
Crop damage symptoms:
In newly planted cassava farms termites chew and eat stem cuttings. These grow poorly, die and rot. In older cassava farms, termites chew and enter the stems. This weakens the stems and causes them to break easily. Termite damage occurs mostly in the dry season.
Reproduction: King and queen termites produce all the other members of the termite nest. They are always hidden in special chambers in the nests, and you are unlikely to see them.
Other crops attacked: In addition to cassava, termites attacks many other crops including maize, yam, and groundnut
