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Location :
Hawaii, USA
Study : Extended Testing for
Resistance to
Formosan Termite
Dates :
August 2007 - October 2007
Introduction
The Urban
Entomology Laboratory/Termite
Project, or
'Termite Lab', as it
is more commonly known, is part of
the Department of Plant and
Environmental Protection Sciences in
University of Hawaii's
College of Tropical Agriculture and
Human Resources (CTAHR).
One of only a
handful of laboratories like it in
the USA, the
University of Hawaii’s
Termite Project engages in
world-class, ground-breaking
research in the field of termites
and other urban insect pests. Under
the direction of
Dr. Ken Grace, the
Termite Project continually
investigates new technologies and
techniques for the control of these
subterranean pests. A broad spectrum
of applications are studied,
including wood treatments, soil
treatments, baiting systems,
non-chemical barriers, and resitivity of specific materials.
© University of Hawaii Termite
Project
Soldiers of Hawaii's termite species
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1. Pacific dampwood termite (Zootermopis
angusticollis) |
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2. Forest tree termite (Neotermes
connexus) |
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3. Lowland tree termite (Incisitermes
immigrans) |
|
4. Western drywood termite (Incisitermes
minor) |
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5. West Indian drywood termite
(Cryptotermes brevis) |
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6. Indo-Malaysian drywood
termite (Cryptotermes
cynocephalus) |
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7. Formosan subterranean
termite (Coptotermes
formosanus) |
Research Brief
At Protective
Packaging, we were particularly
interested in the research that has
been done historically in Hawaii on
non-chemical barriers. The Field
Liner laminate is the ideal material
to repel/resist/prevent
Formosan termite with it’s insecticidal
layer containing Deltamethrine. Only
if a termite was to ingest this
material would it be affected and as
such, the chemical is effective
without being ‘free’ in the
environment.
© University of
Hawaii Termite Project
For the research
programme we chose to take two
discrete approaches, the first a
standard lab test based on the
AWPA
E1 & ASTM approved methodologies. We
chose to use ACQ (Alkaline Copper
Quaternary) as the preservative in
the No Choice & Choice test controls
as this would help us assess the
effectiveness of a ‘less toxic’,
waterborne preservative in
comparison to untreated wood
protected only by our Field Liner
material. Four weeks of exposure are
allowed for this test.
© University of
Hawaii Termite Project
No-Choice
Test:
Field Liner Wrapped Southern
Pine - 5 repetitions
ACQ treated Southern Pine - 5
repetitions
Untreated Southern Pine - 5
repetitions
Choice Test:
Field Liner Wrapped vs.
Untreated - 5 repetitions
ACQ treated vs. Untreated - 5
repetitions
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For the Field
Liner Wrapped samples, the small
wafers of untreated Southern
Pine (1”x1”x ¼”) were placed in
small pouches of the Field Liner
material and then the open edge
was sealed.
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The second
and extended approach suggested
by the University of Hawaii
experts was a second
laboratory test in which the
test material is stretched
across a cylindrical test
container with soil on either
side of it, termites on one side
and wood on the other. In
addition to intact Field Liner
material, abrased material,
material with slits cut in it
and material with small holes
cut in it would be tested in
order to see how it fares under
an imperfect installation.
Additionally,
three variants of Field Liner
material were used :-
The full Four
layer laminate which includes the
insecticidal layer
The three layer
laminate with no insecticidal layer
but the biocidal inner layer
A three layer
laminate with neither insecticidal
nor biocidal layers
This is the test
setup:
PP008
Untreated liner with no surface
abrasions - 3 replicates, each with
200 termites
PP008
Untreated liner with surface
abrasions - 3 replicates, each with
200 termites
PP008
Untreated liner with 3 slits - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
PP008
Untreated liner with 3 holes - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
PP893 Biocidal liner
with no surface abrasions - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
PP893
Biocidal liner with surface
abrasions - 3 replicates, each with
200 termites
PP893
Biocidal liner with 3 slits - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
PP893
Biocidal liner with 3 holes - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
PP220DAB
Insecticidal liner with no surface
abrasions - 3 replicates, each with
200 termites
PP220DAB
Insecticidal liner with surface
abrasions - 3 replicates, each with
200 termites
PP220DAB
Insecticidal liner with 3 slits - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
PP220DAB
Insecticidal liner with 3 slits - 3
replicates, each with 200 termites
In each case, a disk of the test
material is placed between two
Plexiglass cylinders, which are then
secured with a pipe clamp. This way
it is impossible for termites to
move around the edge of the test
material. Soil and 200 termites are
placed on one side of the Liner, and
soil and a wood wafer is placed on
the other side. Termites must
penetrate the Liner to feed on the
wood. The test is dismantled in
10-15 days (depending upon
observations of termite mortality).
Results
The
results of the testing were
published in December 2007. In
both the choice and no choice method
untreated wood protected by PPL
Field Liner material scored "Perfect
10's" meaning that the termites were
unable to penetrate the laminate
material. ACQ treated and
untreated wood samples were attacked
by termites in the control tests
proving that the termites were
active.
The
tests conducted by University of
Hawaii satisfy the AWPA criteria for
Standard E1-97 as required by AWPA
Barrier Protection System Standard
P20-07.
The
extended tests conducted by
University of Hawaii conclusively
proved that all tested Field Liner
materials prevented termite
penetration.
All photos on this page indicated
with
© University
of Hawaii Termite Project
are reproduced with the kind
permission of the University of
Hawaii Termite Project |
