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If you have harvester termite problem, Effective Solutions have a safe, non toxic solution to your pest problem. Contact us now to see how we can assist you.

HARVESTER TERMITE

Hodotermes mossambicus

Harvester Termites- commonly known as harvester ants, are pests of natural pastures and compete with other animals for food. They do not attack wood, but live on grass and non-woody plant materials containing cellulose. They are of great importance as they destroy grazing veld and encourage soil erosion. They can cause extensive damage to cultivated crops such as wheat. Garden lawns, sports fields and parks are often attacked during the winter months.

Unlike subterranean termites, harvester ants collect their food in the open. The only indication of the presence of these insects is the denuded (bare) areas containing heaps of soil and foraging holes. Harvester ant workers that forage on the surface are active during the warm part of the day during winter, and at night in summer, depending on the temperature.

Diagram of Hodotermes mossambicus nests.
A: Soil Dumps. B: Harvesting holes. C: Breeding nests.
D: Supplementary nests

They are named harvester ants because they clip off grass and cellulose fibre and carry such back to their nests. The result is large yellow patches on lawns and in severe cases, patches of soil appearing where grass has been carried away in large quantities.
The colonies live entirely underground and the workers will only surface to forage. The nests are quite large, being up to 75cm in diameter and they may be as deep as 800cm. In heavily infested areas, all nests are interconnected
and form one large colony.

The harvester ant is a comparatively large species, the soldiers reaching a length of almost 25mm and the workers approximately 19mm. They have black or brown heads, with clearly defined stripes across the back of the abdomen. The soldiers have very large mandibles.

    

HARVESTER ANT MANAGEMENT

A ready-to-use granule bait, with stomach action is spread over all lawns, especially in close vicinity of foraging holes where harvester ants are active. Activity will decline a few days after application with only white nymphs remaining active, but they will soon disappear. The area may need to be inspected within 30 to 60 days after application, and any active holes should be retreated.

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