Occurrence of Termite Species in Tea Plantations of Northeast India

Termites (order Blattodea) are eusocial insects that are primarily known as being structural pests, but the majority of termite species consume a variety of degraded plant material.Termites also have been reported as pests of young and mature tea plants in tea plantations of northeast India, including the states Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura, causing significant economic crop losses of 20-25% (Debnath et al. 2012, Two Bud 59: 35-38) and 30-90% (Singha et al. 2012, Int.J. Tea Sci.8: 3-9).Microtermes pakistanicus (Ahmad) and Microcerotermes sp. were previously reported consuming and damaging live tea wood in a few regions of tea plantations across northeast India when the scavenging (e.g., consume dead wood) termite species Odontotermes assamensis (Holmgren), Odontotermes feae (Wasmann), and Odontotermes parvidens (Holmgren) also were reported (Anonymous 1994, Memorandum 27, Tea Research Association, Tocklai Experimental Station, Jorhat, Assam, India).Recently, Roy et al. (2020, Int.J. Trop.Insect Sci.40: 435-440) observed an increase in termite infestations in these tea-producing regions that led us to survey these infestations to identify the species involved and their distribution in infested sections of tea gardens.During 2020-2022, we surveyed 43 tea estates in total, with 25 of those tea estates in Assam (5 in the north bank region, 10 in the south bank region, 5 in upper Assam, and 5 in Cachar district), 10 tea estates in the Dooars and Terai region of North Bengal, and 8 tea estates in Tripura.The maximum number of gardens surveyed in each region was 10 and the minimum was 5. When sampling for termites, we used a 5-point "W" pattern of observations and collections in two or three different sections of each tea estate.Termite soldiers were collected in 70% alcohol for morphological identification.