Non-traditional approaches to subterranean termite control in buildings

Abstract

Termites can cause damage to living trees and many crop plants, but the fact that they can use dead wood makes them a major pest for timber used for construction purposes, both outdoors and inside buildings. In termite-infested areas of Europe the costs involved are not precisely known, but considerable problems have already been reported and there is a clear trend towards increasing infestations. In the past, organochloride insecticides were very effective for the control of termites, but their persistence created potential environmental problems and they were therefore restricted. The emphasis on termite control has thus changed from a massive use of pesticides to an integrated approach that involves knowledge of the ecology and behaviour of the insect and the use of safer biological or chemical methods of control. Under this new approach, this article will discuss different strategies of subterranean termite control, with particular emphasis on the bait technology and population management using biological control agents, metabolic inhibitors and insect growth regulators.