Wood resistance and wood preference and development of suitable bait matrix for the control of subterranean termites in Malaysia

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Date
2003-11
Authors
Ngee, Peng Soon
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Abstract
This thesis focuses on several aspects of wood resistance and preference, and development of a suitable and better bait matrix for the control of subterranean termite, particularly Coptotermes spp. A total of 45 wood species from three geographical locations (Malaysia, Japan and United States of America) [Malaysia: nyatoh (Ganua sp.), jelutong (Dyera costulata), teak (Tectona grandis), angsana (Pterocarpus indicus), pine (Pinus caribaea), balau (Shorea sp.), red meranti (Shorea sp.), white meranti (Shorea sp.), rubberwood (Hevea brasieliensis), merbau (lntsia palembanica), membatu (Parinari sp.), terentang (Campnosperma auricuiata), medang (species of Lauraceae), melunak (Pentace sp.) and perah (Elateriospermum tapos); Japan: hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) , hinoki-natural and high quality (Chamaecyparis obtusa), hinoki-planted and low quality (Chamaecyparis obtusa), ezomatsu (Picea jezoensis), todomatsu (Abies sachaliensis), katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), kuri (Castanea crenata), sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), keyaki (Zelkova serrata), kusunoki (Cinnamomun camphora), mizunara (Quercus mongolica), karamatsu (Larix leptolepis), akamatsu (Pinus densiflora), buna (Fagus crenata) and akagashi (Quercus ,acuta); U.S.A: yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), yellow poplar-old growth (Liriodendron tulipifera), willow (Salix nigra), hickory (Carya sp.), red oak (Quercus rubra), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red elm (Ulmus rubra), white oak (Quercus alba), white mulberry (Morus alba), cotton (Populus deltoids), cherry (Prunus serofina), northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), soft maple (Acer saccharinum) and southern yellow pine (Pinus radiate)] were screened for their susceptibility to, and preference by four Malaysian subterranean termite species namely, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann), Coplotermes curvignathus Holmgren, xix Globitermes sulphureus (Haviland) and Microcerotermes crass us Snyder. ,Of the 15 Malaysian wood species tested, terentang (C auriculata), jelutong (D. constulata) and rubberwood (H brasieliensis) were the most susceptible ones and most preferred by all tennite species, particularly the Coptotermes spp. They also caused low mortality to the tennites species tested. Buna (F crenata), karamatsu (L. leptolepis), sugi (C japonica) and todomatsu (A. sachaliensis) were among the Japanese wood species that were found to be highly susceptible to subterranean tennite species tested. Kusunoki (C camphora) was toxic to Microc. crassus. All American wood species, with the exception of old grow yellow poplar (L. tulipifera), generally showed the potential as suitable candidates as tennite bait matrix. Old growth yellow poplar (L. tu{ipifera) caused toxicity effect to Cgestroi. Wood preference studies of 30 wood species (Japanese and Malaysian woods) on subterranean tennites indicated that rubberwood, jelutong and terentang were the most preferred species. . Field wood preference studies against various species of tennites using Malaysian wood species also reconfinned the laboratory findings. L8rboratory evaluation of three bait toxicants (noviflumuron, hexaflumuron and imidacloprid) in rubberwood and terentang sawdust-based matrix indicated that noviflumuron is the most suitable and effective toxicant against C. gestroi with its effective concentrations at .0.1 0 and 0.25% w/w. These toxicants, however were not effective against the higher group of tennites (G. sulphureus and Microc. crassus) tested in this study. Evaluation of sucrose and urea as additives in experimental bait matrix failed to show a positive increase in bait palatability to the tennite species tested. Field evaluation of experimental bait matrix (rubberwood based) containing 0.10% and 0.25 % (w/w) noviflumuron indicated excellent perfonnance against field colonies of Coptotermes spp. Colony elimination was achieved withili ~ 7 weeks in all test locations, with exception to one location which took up to 9 weeks.
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Wood resistance and preference, and development of a suitable and better bait matrix , for the control of subterranean termite
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