Termite Damage to Economic Trees in Benue State, Nigeria: Termite Diversity and Nature of Attacks, Economic Cost of Control and Plantation Owners’ Knowledge and Perception

The emerging economic losses in orange, palm fruits, mango and cashew production due to termite infestation is threatening food and social security in communities in Nigeria where these crops are major cash crops and significant income earner. This study was therefore designed to identify farming practices that create ideal conditions for termite proliferation, evaluate the species diversity and abundance of termites affecting economic trees, determine the financial cost of termite infestation on economic trees in order to develop an integrated strategies for their management. Kwande, Ushongo, Ogbadibo and Oju Local Government Areas which are termite hotspots and fruit-producing Local Government Areas in Benue State were purposively selected. A total of 120 orchards were selected and trees were randomly inspected for physical evidence of termites’ infestation. A structured questionnaire to investigate plantation owners’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices in relation to termite infestation was administered to 402 plantation owners and farmers. Focus Group Discussions, direct field observations, were also conducted in each community and termite samples were collected from infested trees. A total of 2,458 economic trees were inspected across the four study locations, 572 (23.7%) showed visible signs of termite infestation. Cashew trees had highest infestation rate with 37.1% showing evidence of termite infestation. The Genus Macrotermes were the most predominant termites infesting trees with M. bellicosus and M. malaccensis. Orange and mango were predominantly cultivated in Kwande and Ushongo, palm trees were the major economic trees in Ogbadibo. There was a significant association between location of study and types of economic trees (χ² = 218.323; p = 0.000). There was no significant association between signs of termite infestation and location of plantations (χ² = 30.107; p = 0.090). There was a significant difference in pesticide application compared to other control methods (χ² = 33.565; p = 0.014). Farmers termite-related perceptions are significantly influenced by local experience and indigenous knowledge resulting to ineffective control efforts. Our finding justifies the need to build the capacity of farmers and deploy more effective integration of termite control options to mitigate the impact of termite-related fruit production losses in Benue State, Nigeria.