However, in the current study, we saw an even more pronounced effect with complete cessation of all activity in the inner monitors over a 3-yr period after fipronil treatment. Hope Characteristics of study properties and pretreatment sampling period. Effect of imidacloprid tree treatments on the occurrence of Formosan subterranean termites, Population density, species abundance, and breeding structure of subterranean termite colonies in and around infested houses in central North Carolina, Colony-level effects of imidacloprid in subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Exterior-targeted liquid termiticides: an alternative approach to managing subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in buildings, GENEPOP, version 1.2: population genetics software for exact tests and ecumenicism, Tunneling and mortality of eastern and Formosan subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in sand treated with thiamethoxam or fipronil, Field evaluation of potential control strategies against the invasive eastern subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Chile, Toxicity, repellency, and transfer of chlorfenapyr against western subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Toxicity, uptake, and transfer efficiency of fipronil in western subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Effects of exposure duration on transfer of nonrepellent termiticides among workers of, Influence of temperature on rate of uptake and subsequent horizontal transfer of [C-14]fipronil by eastern subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Response of the Formosan subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) to baits or nonrepellent termiticides in extended foraging arenas, Novel technologies for subterranean termite control, Transfer of fipronil, a nonrepellent termiticide, from exposed workers of, Polymorphism at trinucleotide microsatellite loci in the subterranean termite, Biology of subterranean termites: insights from molecular studies of, This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The redetection rate of 60% of the untreated colonies in the current study was slightly lower than the 71% found in an earlier similar study we conducted using the same methods and in the same geographic region to evaluate the colony-level effects of imidacloprid (Parman and Vargo 2010). 2007) and liquid treatments (Parman and Vargo 2010). . J. Jordon, J. Carlson, T. Juba, and P. Labadie provided valuable assistance in the field and laboratory. To assess possible colony-level effects of fipronil, a commonly used nonrepellent termiticide, we conducted a field study of eight houses in the Raleigh, NC, area with infestations of the eastern subterranean termite Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Analysis of these time points provided an indicator of termite activity just before treatment, 90 d after treatment, at which time all structures were free of termite infestations, and at yearly intervals. 1993). We are grateful to S. Taylor and W. Keith (both Capital Pest Services), J. Lynn (Surety Exterminating Company), and D. Harris (Economy Exterminators) for locating and treating the study houses. Fipronil is specially designed by biochemists to disrupt the central nervous system of termites that come in contact with the chemical; fipronil in high concentrations kills termites … To gauge overall termite activity throughout the study period, we tallied the number of monitors with termites present for each property at the following time points: day of treatment (before termiticide application), ≈90 d after treatment, and ≈1, 2, and 3 yr after treatment. In discussing the effect of nonrepellent liquid termiticides in a review of new technologies for termite control, Su (2002) rightly pointed out nearly a decade ago that there were that “no published data to date to demonstrate their impact on field populations of subterranean termites.” The current study together with our previous study on imidacloprid (Parman and Vargo 2010), providing data on 20 properties treated with nonrepellent liquid termiticides, is starting to fill that gap. This house received an exterior/localized interior perimeter treatment. These authors found that most of the transfer occurred through contact and not trophallaxis. Microsatellite genotyping has been used to track colonies and assess the efficacy of both baits (Vargo 2003, Aluko and Husseneder 2007, Husseneder et al. Gray larger circles and enclosed shapes represent colonies. T. L. The largest of the infesting colonies had an estimated foraging area of 365 m2. Termidor … Permethrin SFR. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the European subterranean termite, The effect of imidacloprid on mortality, activity, and horizontal transfer in the western subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Evaluation of efficacy and nonrepellency of indoxacarb and fipronil-treated soil at various concentrations and thicknesses against two subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Evaluation of treatment success and patterns of reinfestation of the Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Toxicity, repellency, and horizontal transmission of fipronil in the Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Repellency, toxicity and tunneling ability of. Usually, only pest control experts are in a reasonable position to deploy this chemical with all the proper safety precautions and guidelines. There have only been a few studies on the effects of the chemical on humans; however, these studies conclude that fipronil should fall under the category of Group C possible human carcinogen based on tests involving lab rats. Ahmed G. In our previous study on colony-level effects of imidacloprid treatment, we also saw about a 67% decrease in the activity of the inner monitors (Parman and Vargo 2010). tered for use as liquid termiticides. Few of the 12 likely treated colonies were found during this period, although three (25%) were found repeatedly up to the end of the study. Five houses received a full treatment following the instructions for postconstruction conventional termite treatment in which a continuous barrier of termiticide is applied to the interior and exterior perimeters, whereas three houses received the postconstruction exterior/localized interior structural termite treatment receiving a continuous exterior barrier with interior treatment around areas showing termite activity (Table 1). Fipronil is a white powder with a moldy odor. Henderson Gerard Another possibility is that the effects of fipronil treatment were stronger than those of imidacloprid so that some of the untreated colonies eventually entered treated soil during the course of the study and suffered colony-level effects. Termidor controls all types of termites including subterranean, formosan, and drywood termites. To distinguish among possible treatment levels, all colonies present before treatment were placed into one of three categories as described in Parman and Vargo (2010). C. Its all the same thing. For any given property, monitors were installed in either a single day or over two consecutive days. The "transfer effect" of Termidor has been observed through controlled scientific testing using C14 radio labeled fipronil on live termites. HARRIS Termite Treatment and Mold Killer, 16oz Powder, Makes 1 Gallon Liquid Spray for Preventing, Controlling and Killing Termites, Wood Destroying Beetles, Carpenter Ants and More 4.3 out of 5 stars … Saran and Rust (2007) also observed that termites exposed to lethal amounts of fipronil do not travel >1.5 m from the treated zone, leading them to conclude that horizontal transfer was not a major cause of the efficacy of fipronil treatments in the field. Termidor is completely undetectable by termites and once termites touch it they contact, ingest and spread the termiticide until it eliminates the entire colony. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. In the past decade, three non-repellent compounds have been regis-. Several studies have shown that fipronil is transferred from exposed workers to naïve subterranean termites in the laboratory in Reticulitermes spp. Fipronil is transferred among termite castes via the unique “Transfer EffectTM”. Hasse Drywood Termite Control and Prevention Methods, Why You Should Avoid Relying on Post Construction Anti-Termite Treatment, A rather strange species of nasute termite, How drywood and subterranean termites differ. 2008, Bagnères et al. T. R. We also checked other areas in the yard containing wood debris, stumps, wood piles, and other materials at least twice before treatment. Comparisons of Efficiency of Two Formulations of Verbenone (4, 6, 6-trimethylbicyclo [3.1.1] hept-3-en-2-one) for Protecting Whitebark Pine, Combined Effects of Methoprene and Metformin on Reproduction, Longevity, and Stress Resistance in, Methods for Testing Repellents Against Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), Behavioral Asymmetries Affecting Male Mating Success in, About the Entomological Society of America, Receive exclusive offers and updates from Oxford Academic, Copyright © 2021 Entomological Society of America. Houses were treated using Termidor SC at the label rate of 0.06% by a commercial licensed pest management professional. Offers broad-ranging insect control. The strong colony-level effects and the likely elimination of colonies after fipronil treatment could be due to two possible nonexclusive mechanisms. Edward L. Vargo, Vincent Parman, Effect of Fipronil on Subterranean Termite Colonies (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the Field, Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 105, Issue 2, 1 April 2012, Pages 523–532, https://doi.org/10.1603/EC11155. According to the National Pesticide Information Center at Oregon State University, Fipronil is an insecticide used to control many common insect pests including ants, termites, beetles, … Su (2005) reported that workers of the Formosan subterranean termite did not travel >5 m after contacting fipronil-treated soil. J.-L. In addition, exposed termites can transfer some of the toxicant to naïve termites; workers of R. hesperus and R. flavipes exposed to sand treated with <5 ppm can transmit lethal doses of fipronil to unexposed nestmates (Saran and Rust 2007, Bagnères et al. We genotyped the pretreatment samples to determine colony affiliation as described below (see DNA Analysis for Termite Colony Affiliation) and then made maps of each property showing the locations of all active colonies present at the time of treatment (Figs. Austin Taurus SC is a professional-grade termiticide with the active ingredient Fipronil and is used to control termites and various other insects around structures. After treatment, the monitors were checked monthly for 3 mo and then quarterly for 3 yr to track the fate of colonies. It works by disrupting, and eventually disabling, the central nervous system of insects. Of these, the majority were R. flavipes; the only other species detected was R. hageni, of which we found nine colonies present (7% of the total) on four of the properties, and in all cases, these colonies were located in natural areas and were not found in any of the monitors or in the houses. In China, two of three baited colonies of Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki) stopped foraging in trees and bait stations after 120–150 days when fed 40 ppm fipronil … This affects … Ibrahim The pretreatment samples were part of a previous study on colony densities around residential properties (Parman and Vargo 2008), where they were genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci: Rf 24-2, Rf 21-1, Rf 15-2, Rf 6-1, Rf 5-10, Rf 1-3, Rs 16, Rs 33, Rs 62, and Rs 76. The 90-d time period was represented by the sample collected closest to this data (range, 82–126 d after treatment). They ranged in age from 6 to 49 yr (mean = 23.4 ± 17.2 yr). Of the 11 treated colonies, all of which were attacking structures, four had somewhat extended foraging ranges with foragers occupying monitoring stations in the outer ring and/or natural areas at the time of treatment (e.g., Fig. PCR products were resolved on 6.5% polyacrylamide gels run on a 4300 automated DNA sequencer (LI-COR Biosciences, Lincoln, NE). Working with R. flavipes, Bagnères et al. Dronnet It can be found in dust form that is blown into the tunnel systems of termites, gel for use in bait stations, and also as a liquid state. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. M. F. Results concerning the strength of transfer and effects on recipients vary depending on the route of exposure of donor termites, temperature (Spomer et al. The numbers of treated, likely treated, and untreated colonies present on the day of treatment and 90 d after treatment are shown in Table 2. Simms … 2008, Bagnères et al. Mean number (±SE) of subterranean termite colonies found in mud tubes on the structure, in monitors located within 0.5 m from the foundation wall (inner monitors), and in monitors located further from the structures (2–20 m from the foundation wall; outer monitors) before treatment and at four time points after treatment. The main active ingredients in the new nonrepellents are fipronil (Termidor, BASF Corp., Research Triangle Park, NC), imidacloprid (Premise, Bayer Corporation Specialty Products, Kansas City, MO; several generic products), chlorfenapyr (Phantom, BASF Corp.), and chlorantraniprole (Altriset, DuPont Crop Protection, Wilmington, DE). Ripa H. X. The substance is toxic to people and … Houses were treated with either a full treatment (n = 5) or exterior/localized interior treatment (n = 3). March 16, 2004. Here, we use similar methods to determine the colony-level effects of fipronil treatment (Termidor) on subterranean termites infesting houses in North Carolina. In total, we detected 128 colonies present on the eight properties at the time of treatment, including those infesting the structures. In brief, monitors were 30 cm long with two pieces of 20-cm-long pine wood strips inside. . 2003, Shelton and Grace 2003, Rust and Saran 2006, Tsunoda 2006, Haagsma and Rust 2007, Saran and Rust 2007, Spomer et al. This stands in contrast to our results with imidacloprid (Parman and Vargo 2010), in which 67% of the likely treated colonies survived after 2 yr, a survival rate very similar to the untreated colonies in that study (71%). We sampled natural areas semiannually. Over the past dozen years or so, nonrepellent liquid insecticides with delayed toxicity have come to dominate the postconstruction termiticide market in most regions of the United States due to their high efficacy and low rates of treatment failures (Anonymous 2002, Potter 2004). N. Y. (2003) on a fragment of the cytochrome oxidase II (COII) gene. A. E. It can certainly get into the ecological chain if birds eat insects that have been poisoned with the chemical (as happens when birds eat termite swarmers, for example). Our results provide strong evidence for potent colony wide effects of fipronil on subterranean termites leading to colony suppression and likely colony elimination under field conditions. The stations were inserted into prebored holes in the ground and covered at ground level with a PVC cap. Fipronil is used in a wide variety of pesticide products, including granular products for grass, gel baits, spot-… . There is no Fipronil brand type A and Type B. Fipronil is a specific chemical and mixed at a certain percentage will act to destroy termite nests. A. 2003, Shelton and Grace 2003, Tsunoda 2006). It is highly toxic to termites, with a lethal dose50 for the western subterranean termite, Reticulitermes hesperus Banks, of 0.2 ng per termite at 7 d (Saran and Rust 2007) and 1.33–1.39 ng per termite at 72 h for the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Ibrahim et al. Wood can also be treated directly if termites are … Davis Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The fipronil works and does its best to kill the termites. These results are consistent with those of Potter and Hillery (2002) who found a lack of R. flavipes activity within several meters of treated structures, and those of Ripa et al. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 1 and 2. Malik We determined the colony affiliation of samples following the methods of Parman and Vargo (2008). Fei 1F2F3–4 and) and in the natural areas throughout the study (Figs. Termite workers were collected from monitoring stations, mud tubes and wood debris; placed into vials containing 95% ethanol; and stored at −20°C until DNA extraction. It could be that although many workers in most of these likely treated colonies contacted the nearby treated soil, few or no workers in other likely treated colonies entered the treatment zone despite being active very close to it, thereby limiting the effects of the active ingredient on some colonies. Samples were considered to belong to the same colony if they shared all the same genotypes, and they did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) in genotype frequencies. This work was supported by funds provided by BASF. Fipronil. (Ibrahim et al. Locations and observed foraging areas of R. flavipes colonies on property BW before treatment and at four time points after treatment. In termite baiting systems, the poison is mixed into the edible cellulose bait that the termites carry back to the colony to share with their other nest mates, while as a liquid termiticide, the poison is applied directly into the soil surrounding a building. We extracted DNA from whole termite bodies by using the Gentra PureGene kit (Gentra Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN) or the DNeasy kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA). Small open circles represent in-ground monitoring stations. Thus, it is possible that some colonies survived the treatment and continued to persist on the property but we failed to find them again after the pretreatment sampling period because they were not encountered again in either the monitors or wood debris. We used the PCR conditions described by Vargo (2000) and Dronnet et al. In addition to the actual chemical poisoning the insect, the feces and carcasses left behind can contain enough residual pesticide to kill other members of the colony, if eaten. 1 and 2). Combats a very wide … First, foragers contacting treated soil may transfer sufficient amounts of fipronil throughout the colony to kill all members. (2007) who found a decline in active monitors within 2 m of the treatment zone in R. flavipes. In addition, termite activity close to the foundation walls dramatically decreased in the case of imidacloprid and ceased altogether in the case of fipronil. It can be used as a perimeter spray or trench treatment to prevent termites … The two dark elliptical shapes at the time of pretreatment depict foraging areas of two colonies that were infesting the structure. Genotypes were scored by comparing the fluorescently labeled PCR products to size standards by using GeneProfiler version 3.56 (BD Biosciences Bioimaging, Rockville, MD). Finally, we considered colonies located in the outer ring of monitors or in the natural areas to be untreated colonies. M. K. These include fipronil (Termidor®), imidacloprid (Premise®), and … During the period between 90 d after treatment and the 1-yr mark, monitors were checked at least six times and natural areas at least twice. We collected one final sample either the day of treatment or the day before treatment. Wood debris in natural areas was checked semiannually for 3 yr. All 11 of the treated colonies (those attacking structures) disappeared within 90 d of treatment and were not found again. In brief, the genotypes of the group of individuals comprising a sample were compared with all other groups collected from the same property by means of an exact test of genotypic differentiation by using GenePop on the Web (Raymond and Rousset 1995). Reasonable position to deploy this chemical with all the proper safety precautions and guidelines proper safety precautions and guidelines study... Nine of 12 treated Reticulitermes spp function properly other five structures were each by... 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