Termite control in field crops: how to identify and stop termites

Photo at the top: Termite workers repairing a damaged mud nest. Photo: Dinesh Valke, CC BY-SA 2.0

Quick answer

Termites (white ants) live in colonies under the soil. They eat roots, the stem base and planted sugarcane setts, so plants wilt, dry and pull out easily. Termite control in field crops starts before sowing: deep ploughing, clean fields, well-rotted manure and timely irrigation, plus a label-approved soil drench in sugarcane where termites are a known problem.

Termites are called deemak in Hindi and chedalu in Telugu. This guide covers termites in field crops such as sugarcane, groundnut and wheat. It does not cover termites in houses. For a home in Warangal, see the note near the end.

How to identify termites (white ants) in the field

Termites are small, soft, pale insects. People often call them white ants, but they are not ants. A termite has a thick waist and straight feelers. An ant has a thin, pinched waist and bent feelers, and is usually dark.

A colony has different kinds of termites, called castes:

• Workers: whitish-yellow, soft, flat and without wings. They make up most of the colony. Only the workers eat crops.
• Soldiers: like workers, but with a large brown or orange head and strong jaws. You find them where the colony is being disturbed.
• Winged termites: dark, with two pairs of long wings of the same size. They fly out in large numbers after the first monsoon showers to start new colonies.
• Queen and king: they stay deep in the soil in a royal chamber. The queen grows very large and lays eggs for many years.

Two kinds of termites do most of the crop damage in India. Odontotermes species build mounds and attack sugarcane, groundnut and many other crops. Microtermes species build no mounds of their own. They live and feed fully under the ground, so you only see the damage on the plants.

Signs in the field

• Plants wilt and dry in patches, often during a dry spell.
• Dried plants come out of the soil with a light pull. The roots and the base of the stem are eaten.
• Thin mud tubes or a layer of mud on the stem near the soil.
• Stems or canes that are hollow inside and packed with soil.
• Mounds (termite hills) on field bunds or nearby land. The common field termite in India, Odontotermes obesus, builds mounds.

Look-alikes: white grubs, wilt and ants

• White grubs: also eat roots, but you find a fat, C-shaped white grub with a brown head in the soil, not small pale termites.
• Wilt and root rot diseases: the plant dries, but there are no mud tubes and no soil packed inside the stem.
• Ants: often seen on plants, but they have a thin waist and do not fill stems with soil.

Life cycle and when termites attack

Soon after the first monsoon showers, winged termites leave the colony and fly. Most are eaten by birds and other animals. A few pairs land, drop their wings, go into the soil and start a new colony. The first young ones become workers. A colony can live for many years, and the queen keeps laying eggs all that time.

Termites feed on dry plant matter (cellulose) as well as living roots. So raw manure, old stubble and crop waste in the field draw them in. Damage is worse in red soils and light, sandy or loamy soils, and where water is short. When the soil dries out, termites move to living roots.

In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, red soils are common, so termites are a regular problem. Watch closely after sowing and during dry spells in both kharif and rabi. In sugarcane, the risk is highest at planting, when setts lie in the soil, and in the hot summer months.

Crops termites attack and the damage they cause

Termites in sugarcane

Termites enter the setts from the cut ends and eat them from inside, so buds fail to sprout and the stand is patchy. Later they attack roots and young shoots, and the shoots dry. In grown cane they hollow out the lower part and fill it with soil.

Termites in groundnut

Termites eat the roots and the tap root, so plants wilt and die. They also scrape the outer shell of the pods. Scraped pods are weak and can let in moulds. Groundnut also has leaf pests; see our guides on leaf miner in groundnut and the tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura).

Termites in wheat

Damage is seen soon after sowing, when seedlings dry, and again near maturity, when whole plants dry and are easy to pull out. Late irrigation makes it worse.

Other crops

Termites also attack maize, cotton, chilli, vegetables, young fruit trees and many other crops, mostly in dry, light soils.

When to act against termites

There is no simple count of termites that tells you when to spray, because they live hidden in the soil. Act on field history and on what you see. If a field had termite damage last season, prepare it well and treat at planting. In a standing crop, act as soon as you see wilting plants in patches with eaten roots or mud tubes. Waiting lets the patch grow.

Termite control without chemicals

• Deep summer ploughing: breaks tunnels and brings termites to the surface, where birds eat them.
• Find and destroy the mound: the queen lives deep inside. Digging out the mound and destroying the queen is the only lasting way to end that colony.
• Clean the field: remove old stubble, crop waste and dead wood. They feed termites and help colonies grow.
• Use only well-rotted manure: raw farmyard manure draws termites to the field.
• Neem cake or castor cake: the ICAR-NCIPM groundnut IPM package advises soil application at 250 kg per hectare (about 100 kg per acre) against termites and some soil diseases.
• Irrigate on time: termite damage rises when the soil dries and plants are under stress. Timely light irrigation helps, especially in sugarcane and wheat.
• Healthy setts and seed: plant clean, fresh sugarcane setts. Damaged setts let termites in faster.
• Natural enemies: birds, lizards and ants eat many termites, mostly the winged ones after the first rains. Leave birds and lizards alone near the field.

Termite control pesticides, crop by crop

Use only a product whose label lists your crop and termites. Below are the products in our range whose official label covers termites in a field crop.

Sugarcane

• Aston Insecticide (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC): label dose 202–253 ml per acre in 400 L water, as a sett drench or soil drench.
• OMG Insecticide (chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC): label dose 202–253 ml per acre in 400 L water, as a sett drench or soil drench at planting. Its label also allows a soil drench at the base of the young plants before the first or second irrigation.

Both products have the same active ingredient at the same strength. Choose one; there is no benefit in using both.

Groundnut, wheat and other field crops

None of the products in our range has a label for termites in groundnut, wheat or other field crops. Use the non-chemical steps above, and ask your local agriculture officer or Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for a product approved for your crop. Do not use a sugarcane product on another crop.

Rotate to avoid resistance

Aston and OMG both contain chlorantraniliprole, which is in IRAC group 28. IRAC is the international group that sorts insecticides by how they act on the insect. Products in the same group work the same way, so pests that survive one will also survive the other.

Group 28 products are also used against borers in sugarcane. If you used one for termites at planting, ask your agriculture officer about a product from a different group for later sprays in the same crop. Keep the cultural steps going every season, so the chemical is not your only tool.

Safety and waiting period

Product	Crop	Waiting period before harvest
Aston Insecticide	Sugarcane	208 days
OMG Insecticide	Sugarcane	208 days

• Wear gloves, a mask, full-sleeve clothes and boots while mixing and drenching.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while you work. Wash your hands and face after.
• Keep the product and empty packs away from children, animals, food and water sources.
• Read the label and leaflet before use.

Termite control for your home

Field products and doses are not meant for buildings. Treating a building is called premise termite control, and it uses different products and methods. If you have termites in your home in Warangal, we offer a home termite service: see pest control services.

Frequently asked questions

Which chemical is used for termite control in sugarcane?

In our range, Aston and OMG have labels for termites in sugarcane. Both contain chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC. The label dose is 202–253 ml per acre in 400 L water as a sett or soil drench at planting.

Is there a termite pesticide for groundnut or wheat?

Not in our current range. Ask your agriculture officer or KVK for a product whose label lists your crop and termites. Until then, use deep ploughing, clean fields, rotted manure, neem cake and timely irrigation.

Can I use a field termite product inside my house?

No. Treatment of buildings uses different products, doses and methods. For homes in Warangal, see our pest control services page.

Why do termites attack more in dry weather?

When the soil is dry, there is less dead plant matter for termites to eat and the plants are stressed. Termites then move to living roots. Timely irrigation and organic matter that is fully rotted reduce the damage.

How can I control termites in my field without chemicals?

Plough deep in summer, remove old stubble and crop waste, and use only well-rotted manure. Dig out nearby mounds to reach the queen. Water the crop on time so the soil does not dry out. These steps together keep termite numbers down season after season.

Does killing termites in the field end the problem?

Only for a while if the colony survives. The queen lives deep in the mound. Finding and destroying the mound gives longer relief than treating the plants alone.

Related reading

• Fall armyworm in maize: how to identify and control it
• Tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura): identification and control
• Leaf miner in tomato and groundnut: identification and control
• Stem borer in paddy: dead heart, white ear and how to control it
• Shop all insecticides
• Fertilizers for strong, healthy crops

Sources

• ICAR-National Research Centre for Integrated Pest Management (ICAR-NCIPM): IPM package for groundnut
• Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC): Mode of action classification
• Product labels and leaflets of Aston Insecticide and OMG Insecticide