Termites (Isoptera) pests in buildings in Joao Pessoa, Brazil

摘要

A survey of the urban termite fauna of Joao Pessoa, Brazil, occurring inside buildings, revealed eleven species. The pest status of the termites was evaluated by their frequency in the buildings and by the economic losses caused to wooden objects. In 85% of the buildings there were termites or signs of their presence, and we estimate a mean cost of USdollar 717.70 per building to control the termites and/or to recuperate the damages caused by them. Cryptotermes brevis and Nasutitermes corniger were found in 61% and 68% of the buildings, causing circa of 52% and 43% of the whole damages, respectively; and the other nine species together were considered to cause 5% of the damages. Only C. brevis and N. corniger are considered major wood pests in buildings in Joao Pessoa, and all the species found, except C. brevis and C. dudleyi, are natives of the Atlantic forest.