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Sustainable Termite Management Using Physical Barriers

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Termites and Sustainable Management

Part of the book series: Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection ((SUPP))

Abstract

Termites are highly socialized insects that caused serious damage to wood products and timber structures worldwide. Termite activity results in billions of dollars spent on control and replacement of damaged wooden members. Traditional termite control method involves injecting hundreds of liters of synthetic insecticides to the soil or use of termite bait products containing insect growth regulators. The former poses risk to both man and environment and the latter is relatively expensive. Slow-acting, non-repellent termiticides have also been developed recently for colony management. However, due to inherent problems and difficulties associated with these methods, their general use is considered non-sustainable. In recent years, the use of physical barriers for sustainable termite management gained popularity due to inherent risks with conventional termite control treatments and erratic performance of bait products in tropical climates. Physical barriers using sand and lahar aggregates are alternative, nonchemical control method that can be used to prevent tunneling and penetration of subterranean termites into wood structures. The installations of these barriers are relatively simple, requiring no expensive equipment with barrier remaining effective for an indefinite period of time against various species of temperate and tropical termites. Although these methods offer a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative, limited commercial applications of these techniques have been developed to date.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Products and Paper Science, University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna, 4031, Philippines

    Menandro N. Acda

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  1. Menandro N. Acda
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Correspondence to Menandro N. Acda .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

    Md. Aslam Khan

  2. Department of Zoology, Section of Nematology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Wasim Ahmad

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Acda, M.N. (2018). Sustainable Termite Management Using Physical Barriers. In: Khan, M., Ahmad, W. (eds) Termites and Sustainable Management. Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68726-1_10

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