Indra Wati, 70 said the termite invasion at her Drasa home was the worst disaster she has ever witnessed. Ms Wati has lived in the Drasa area for the past 55 years.

The magnitude of the destruction on her home was unimaginable.

“We lost our entire house due to the termites,” she said. Ms Wati said that they had to rebuild the entire house which in turn incurred huge costs to the family.”

Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) has declared Lautoka as emergency areas for Asian Subterranean Termites (Coptotermes gestroi).

Asian subterranean termite

BAF said that the movement of all stages of the Asian Subterranean Termites (Coptotermes gestroi) including eggs within or out of the declared biosecurity emergency area is strictly prohibited.

“Any movement of any material hosting Coptotermes gestroi within or out of the declared biosecurity emergency areas is strictly prohibited unless the BAF provides prior authorization for the movement.

The Asian Subterranean Termites (AST) is exotic to Fiji and has caused massive damage to homes and schools and costs run into millions of dollars. AST is the second most destructive sub­terranean termite in the world.