FIELD EVAULATION OF INSECTICES FOR WESTERN DRYWOOD TERMITE CONTROL, 2009

Six insecticides were tested for their effectiveness against natural field infestations of I. minor found in homes and commercial structures from fourteen cities from Jun 2008 to Jun 2009. Boards were determined active for drywood termites using a portable acoustic emission (AE) device (Termite Tracker, Dunegan Engineering, Midland, TX) that detects termite feeding. The Bora-Care was diluted 1:1 with water to a 23% DOT final solution. The Optigard ZT was prepared according to the label directions at a 15:1 expansion ratio for a final thiamethoxam concentration of 0.1%, and applied with the Optigard ZT Foamer Kit. The Premise foam (0.05% imidacloprid) came as ready-to-use foam in a pressurized aerosol can equipped with an applicator tip. The Termidor® SC was injected as an aqueous preparation at 0.125% final solution. The Tim-bor was mixed with water to a final 15% DOT solution. The XT-2000 was injected directly from the container into treated boards. All chemical treatments were randomized. In addition, two untreated checks were included in the study: treatments with water and no treatment. In total there were eight treatments, each replicated at least four times, and all were randomly assigned. Label instructions were followed and a State licensed structural pest control company conducted all applications. All boards receiving chemical treatments were drilled and treated. Author should either use metric This process included drilling two diagonal holes (3.2 mm dia) spaced approximately 10-mm apart, down the entire length of the board. Preand post-treatment AE counts per minute were compared for all treatments. Post-treatment evaluations included visual searches of boards for signs of re-infestations (pellets, termites, and wings) and use of AE equipment to take three one-minute recordings from the same boards that underwent pre-treatment investigations. Differences between preand post-treatment mean AE counts, mean holes drilled, and mean amount of pesticides injected among treatments were conducted using ANOVA and pair-wise comparisons among treatment means using Tukey’s test.