The Efficacy of Pine Wood Pellets reinforced with Active Hexaflumuron against the Subterranian Termite Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren

Abstract

Bait formulation using hexaflumuron is the most used baiting techniques because it is relatively friendly to the environment. One of the potential wood species for bait formulation for termites is pine wood. The resin in pine wood can reduce termites preference. Therefore, the resin contained in pine wood needs to be reduced so that the level of termites preference for pine wood can be increased. This study aims to determine the efficacy of the bait formulation in the form of pellets from pine wood (Pinus merkusii Jungh er de Vries) which was pre-treated with presto (0.4 bar, 100 °C) for one, two, three, four, and five hours with active hexaflumuron (0.25%) against subterranean termites Coptotermes curvignathus. Pine wood chips were treated with presto for one hour, two hours, three hours, four hours, and five hours. The treated pine wood chips then made into sawdust by 40-60 mesh. Pine sawdust then added with hexaflumuron (0.25%) and formed into pellets without adding any adhesive material and then fed to the subterranean termites C. curvignathus (JIS K 1571: 2010). Solid pine wood used as a control sample. The result showed that palatability of formulation pellet bait with active hexaflumuron (14.33%) was higher than solid pine wood (6.58%). The formulation of pellet bait with 0.25% active hexaflumuron with presto pre-treatment was able to eliminate C. curvignathus termites.