Area-Wide Elimination of Subterranean Termite Colonies Using a Novaluron Bait

摘要

Subterranean termites cause damage to man-made structures around the world and are continuing to invade new areas. Current practices for controlling termites generally target a single colony as workers tunnel near these structures, and although they are effective in most instances, they never reduce the overall termite pressure in the surrounding area. An area-wide approach to pest management could offer a way of controlling termites at the population level. By eliminating all or most of the colonies within a given area, the threat of infestation decreases. We tracked individual termite colonies over time, before and after the introduction of termite baits, to assess how long these colonies remained active to determine if a termite-free area could be maintained with continued baiting. This baiting approach was successful in significantly reducing the overall termite population within a baited area.