TUNNELING RESPONSE AND MORTALITY OF THE WESTERN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE (ISOPTERA, RHINOTERMITIDAE) TO SOIL TREATED WITH TERMITICIDES

Reticulitermes hesperus did not tunnel in soil with particle sizes ranging from 0.84-2.36mm. Instead, they tunneled at equal rates in soils with particle sizes ranging from <0.84 to >0.15mm. The latter range of soils was treated with termiticides. When termites were placed on soil treated at ≥50ppm with termiticide, bifenthrin, cypermethrin, or permethrin had the greatest activity. Soil treated with chlordane, permethrin (<50ppm), or chlorpyrifos formulations acted more slowly. Fenvalerate (<100ppm) and isofenphos formulations were the least active treatments. -from Authors