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Reticulitermes flavipes, one of the most harmful subterranean termite pests, was recently reported for the first time from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). It is estimated that it was introduced between 2002 and 2005 in the northeast of the island. It affects buildings, crops and both native and or...

Insecticidal baits are proven effective tactics for domestic cockroach species, but limited information about their use and efficacy exist for outdoor applications targeting peridomestic species. We evaluated three commercial bait products against large populations of Turkestan cockroaches at two pu...

Two new technologies (spray with a pheromone adjuvant + biodegradable hydrogel bait delivery method) were used to develop a unique IPM protocol for Argentine ant at urban structural settings. The IPM protocol included a one-time perimeter treatment with 0.03% fipronil (mixed with a pheromone adjuvan...

The efficacy of YJX-100 yellowjacket baiting system to control individual nests and to provide area-wide suppression of European wasps Vespula germanica was evaluated. The study was conducted in a disturbed urban tall grass habitat in Canberra, Australia in 2017. Six active European wasp nests were ...

Assessing physical barrier on the basis of a laboratory test is an important step on the product development, as those barriers have to remain efficient towards subterranean termites as long as the building is in service. This becomes more challenging when the anti-termite barrier has to resist agai...

Solid food carried into nests of ants by foraging workers is reported to be fed to larvae for digestion before nutrients are transmitted back to workers. The role of the digestion of solid food by larvae for worker consumption was investigated in the use of gel and granular baits in the management o...

Subterranean termites are the most economically damaging termites in the U.S. costing $11 billion annually for prevention, treatment, and repair of damage. However, termite colony spatial dynamics are an understudied topic. In previous laboratory studies, termite colonies of different species are ag...

Camponotus colonies have a worker subcaste, consisting of major and minor workers. This designation is based on the width and height of the head (cephalic index, CI). Performance of tasks by workers results in wear of the mandibular teeth. A sample of workers was taken from a laboratory colony of Ca...

Limited data exist on foraging, agonistic and feeding behavior of subterranean termites of the same species but from different colonies. We conducted research to determine if subterranean termites, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) from different colonies may express unusual foraging, agonistic and f...

Coptotermes gestroi is an introduced pest of substantial economic impact in Brazil. A colony of this subterranean termite builds polycalic nests and uses simultaneously several food resources. However, there is no record of the flow of castes through the “calies” and among the different food sources...

This study examines the effect of dry soil on tunnel construction by the Formosan subterranean termite, Cptotermes formosanus. Termites did not construct tunnels in dry soil in any of the treatments. Termites only constructed tunnels in moist areas in treatments where the soil was partially moistene...

Here I review the application of genetic techniques to subterranean termite studies, focusing on their contributions to applied science. Current use of molecular genetic methods in the area of termite management fall into two main categories: 1.) taxonomy and species identification; and 2.) colony i...

Nasutitermes corniger (Motschulsky) show attractiveness for specific woods, but it is unknown whether this attractiveness may be altered by wood decomposition process. This study analized the foraging behavior of N. corniger when decayed woods in different stages are offered to termites nest. Wood s...

Previous studies published in 2005 and 2006 about the inventory of urban ants in warm areas of Colombia (24°C, 70% relative humidity, 1000 meters above sea level), included four unidentified species of the genus Pheidole, which contributed with a frequency of 11.7%. Only two exotic species showed hi...

Baits (station, granule, gel and liquid) are widely used in the control of ant pests because of their effectiveness, ease of application, and their reduced risk to people, pets and the environment. Among the types of baits, gel baits are the most popular bait type for ant control. However, after app...

Optimisation of performance of dry flowable powder formulations for control of crawling insect pests is known to involve control of particle size and effective distribution of active ingredient. Enhanced pick-up by the insect cuticle has been demonstrated through use of powder bearing an electrostat...

Heterotermes convexinotatus (Snyder 1924) belongs to the group of subterranean termites, it is regarded as an important pest in passion fruit and corn crops in Venezuela and Colombia, it has also been found in Citrus orchards at the Caribbean coast of Colombia. In urban zones it had only been report...

Termite activity had been continuously monitored in four sections of City Park since 2002. Between 2002 and 2005, 12 distinct Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, colonies had been delineated using mark-release-recapture techniques. This study examines how the distribution ...

Colonies of Reticulitermes hesperus were baited to test the efficacy of lufenuron (ZyroxTM) and to assess reinvasion of the foraging sites vacated by eliminated colonies. Twelve colonies of R. hesperus were characterized with cuticular hydrocarbon analyses, mark-recapture, agonistic behavioral studi...

To minimize pesticide use and intrusion to homes, we evaluate the efficacy of an innovative limited interior perimeter plus external perimeter application of imidacloprid as an IPM option in post-construction termite control in a dilution of ratio 1:400. Seven private houses were chosen for the rese...

Choice experiments determined sucrose bait base preference by using laboratory colonies of 10 species of urban pest ants, namely Monomorium pharaonis (L.), Monomorium floricola (Jerdon), Monomorium destructor (Jerdon), Monomorium orientale Mayr, Tapinoma indicum (Forel), Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fab...

Invasive ants present a serious threat to humans, wildlife and sensitive environmental habitats. The nature of these sensitive sites such as schools, nursing homes, parks, and zoos prevent the widespread application of insecticides to control ants and encourage alternative strategies. The presence o...

Seasonal and annual intensity of foraging pestiferous yellowjackets in California (USA) was determined with wet capture traps using heptyl butyrate (HB) lure. Although 3 species were sympatric at every test site, the most abundant at > 85 to 90% of total was V. pensylvanica (Saussure). There was ...

Dietary carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins constitute the nutrient reserves for the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. Adults collected from an urban population were evaluated by their body weight and for their storage and utilization of metabolic reserves. Mean dry body weight of females c...

Task-switching between foraging and building in workers of Nasutitermes exitiosus (Termitidae), a subterranean, mound-building termite, was investigated using mark-recapture. Foragers were collected from wood-filled drums and marked with Nile blue, whereas builders were collected from the mound by d...

The Monomorium orientale is a common pest ant species found infesting human structures. Although it is of relatively lower significance when compared with some other more predominant ant pests, its minute size makes invading human foodstuffs almost too effortless and thus, it is deemed a pesky nuisa...

Unlike insects foraging above ground where individuals can explore over an area and then lay a recruitment trail for others to follow, subterranean termites search for food by constructing underground tunnels. Studies have showed that termite tunnel orientations are affected by physical irregulariti...

Tunnel construction by Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki is initially random, with tunnels radiating outward in a uniform circular distribution from the point of origin. The degree of branching of these tunnels may be species- specific, and reflect the pattern of occurrence of food resources in differe...

The feeding responses of three urban pest ant species, Monomorium pharaonis (L.), Monomorium floricola (Jerdon) and Monomorium destructor (Jerdon) after being subjected to nutritional starvation and satiation (either for all nutrients, carbohydrate only, protein only or lipid only) were studied usin...

Shape and characteristics in five domiciliary cockroach-feces Feces of domiciliary cockroaches often contaminate food or medicine packages. The presence of feces in foraging places is evidence of a cockroach infestation. The shape and other characteristics of feces differ among species. When they fe...

The cryptic habits in lower termites of the family Rhinotermitidae make any understanding of their behavior a difficult task. The secretive nature of their search and foraging behaviors has limited our understanding of these economically significant termites for decades. The behaviors of the foundin...

Management of subterranean termites for past years depends mainly on cyclodiene and organophosphorous termiticides. During those years, these chemicals appeared to be the most suitable chemicals for controlling subterranean termite. However, public concern regarding environmental and health issues c...

Termites are considered to be urban pests in Japan, which has a long history of combating the two most economically important subterranean termites [Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe) and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki], since Japanese houses are made principally of wood. Approximately half of new home...

The Argentine ants nest in the ground and forage into hundreds of trees and houses in the area. We investigated the effect of competition between Argentine ants and red imported fire ants. When equal numbers of Argentine ants and fire ants interacted, fire ants were more successful than Argentines, ...

Barrier applications of sprays and granules have been widely used to control Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), around structures. Their activity against ants, especially the pyrethroids, has been ascribed to toxicity and repellency. Recent studies have shown that bifenthrin and cyfluthrin p...

The RockPointe Condominium Complex in Chatsworth, California, USA, has had a long history of subterranean termite activity and termite-related homeowner complaints. A total of 7,327 Sentricon® stations were installed between October and December of 2001 along the perimeter of 134 buildings, and insp...

Questionnaire-based surveys of homeowners revealed that ants were the most economically important and abundant household pest after mosquitoes and cockroaches in Malaysia. Twenty-five species of ants were found indoors and outside buildings; all species nest outdoors except Monomorium pharaonis, Mon...

The objective of the research presented here was to evaluate the impact of the introduction of a toxic food bait on foraging choice by the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). This was done by analysing the importance of learning visual cues associated with feeding sites and the importance of...

Three components are considered when developing a baiting system: active ingredient; matrix; and termite biology. Attention to variations in termite biology is often limited, so a one-fits-all approach is chosen in the design. Efficacy of a bait system developed for a locally occurring species may n...

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), is a worldwide agricultural and urban pest of Mediterranean and subtropical climates. They often displace native ant species when introduced into new areas. The Argentine ant is a tramp species that easily adapts to new environments and lives in close as...

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, is an invasive species that is a serious agricultural, ecological, and urban pest. L. humile displaces native ant species and other arthropods, and also invades homes and other structures. Monomorium minimum, the little black ant, is also an urban pest that wil...

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanusShiraki, is a serious pest in several parts of the world and is one of the most destructive insects in Louisiana, USA. A pilot test was begun in 1998 to determine the effectiveness of area-wide management on this insect and to reduce its densi...

This study compares the responses of termites to the lignin-degrading basidiomycete, Marasmiellus troyanus (Murrill) Singer, grown on different substrates, and examines the tunneling behavior of termites in sand treated with extracts of fungus-infected pure lignin versus solvent-treated sand. Termit...

The impact of noviflumuron on whole colonies of Pharaoh’s ants,Monomorium pharaonis L., was investigated in a series of laboratory experiments. Large colonies (tens to several hundred queens, 0.5 to 2 grams brood, and 2,000+ workers contained in nine cm diameter by two cm high plastic Petri dishes w...

Carpenter ants, Camponotusspp., are major structural pests as well as nuisance pests in northern areas of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Europe. Management tools have included cultural controls to modify habitats and foraging, dust applications to wall voids, perimeter sprays, bait...

The development of termite baits has demanded effective means of evaluating the success of commercial bait systems. Evaluation has been complicated by unknown factors concerning subterranean termite biology and foraging as well as a lack of definitive research methods. One important element of effec...

The soil-applied termiticide, imidacloprid (Premise®, Hachikusan®) was registered for termite control in Japan in 1993. This non-repellent termiticide causes mortality in termites foraging near treated structures, and is transmissible to other termites not directly exposed to treated soil. A two-yea...

Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), are a major urban pest species in many countries with Mediterranean and semi-tropical climates. L. humile primarily feeds on honeydew, nectar, and other liquid sweets. Baits consisting of sucrose solutions are highly preferred. Sucrose-based liquid solution...

Monitoring stations of were used to observe foraging and feeding behavior of Reticulitermes at the Institute of Forest Genetics (IFG) near Placerville, and at a site in Novato. At IFG 53 monitoring stations were used by cuticular hydrocarbon phenotype A, 10 by phenotype B, and 5 by phenotype C. At N...

A sensor comprised of a wooden monitor on which a conductive circuit of silver particle emulsion was painted was placed in a monitoring/baiting station to detect foraging activity of the subterranean termite, Coptotermes havilandi Holmgren on Little Cayman. Sensor accuracy was 100% one month after i...

Pharaoh ants, Monomorium pharaonis, are significant pests associated with man and his environment. Chemical sprays are not ideal control methods if they cause the ants to disperse. There is a preference for bait treatments that provide a means to use ant biology to transfer slow-acting compounds int...

A weak link in the implementation of effective termite baiting techniques is reliable recruitment of termite foragers to baits. Little is known about how termites locate food sources, but many factors may influence whether foragers find and recruit to a given bait. These include the abundance and pa...

Control of cockroach populations in urban environments is now very often performed with insecticides presented in food bait formulations. To be efficient, food baits must attract pests so that contact is made with the active substance and/or that it is ingested. Food baits may be less efficient for ...

Ants and subterranean termites are economically important insect pests in the urban environment. Managing populations of these pests through bait-toxicant control tactics is a viable option that requires a thorough understanding of their biology. The terminology used in describing a bait-toxicant co...

Over the last decade there has been a steady growth in the use of insecticidal baits to control cockroaches, particularly since the development of slow-acting, non-repellent compounds such as hydramethylnon and, most recently, fipronil. These baits have become increasingly popular for a number of re...

Efficient control and eradication of Pharaoh’s ant is a difficult task for PCOs mostly due to the fact that several queens live in a nest, all of which can not be killed with traditional methods. PROTECT B Pharaoh’s ant killer bait is a special ready-to-use formulation that contains an insect growth...

Pharaoh’s ants, Monomorium pharaonis, are one of the more difficult indoor pest ants to control. We studied if routine exterior monitoring and initiating baiting when infestations are incipient, will prevent infestations inside a building. The study was conducted at a 7,841 m2 two-level building wit...

Using triple-mark-recapture and agonistic behavior studies one colony, consisting of 7 monitoring stations, was determined to consist of approximately 147,000 Reticulitermes foragers. This single colony was baited using Sentricon™ Termite Colony Elimination System. Sixty days later termites were abs...

The French Quarter of New Orleans is the site for a new national campaign against the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, an exotic species that now infests 13 states. The campaign includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, the Louisiana State Uni...

Vespine wasps forage routinely collecting wood fibres for nest construction, insects/insect larvae for protein and also for sources of carbohydrate. It has been suggested widely that, as the nest begins to age, wasps may be found to forage more aggressively for carbohydrate, becoming a nuisance to h...

The applied objectives for bait-toxicant against subterranean termites are at minimum the suppression of foraging activity and ideally the elimination of the entire colony population. Subterranean termite colonies containing hundreds of thousands to millions of individuals may forage up to I50 m in ...

Impact of carpenter ant infestations in structures ranges from nuisance pests to seriously damaging pests if structural timbers are attacked. Carpenter ants excavate wood to form galleries for their brood and tunnels for foragers. A mature colony consists of a parent or main colony with the queen, w...

Determining termiticide performance has, historically, been conducted by assessing attack of wooden boards placed over treated soil. This method was developed by the USDA-FS Gulfport laboratory, and is referred to as the ground-board test. A modification of this involves pouring concrete over the tr...

The Coastal Brown Ant (Pheidole megacephala) is a major introduced nuisance pest species in the most populated regions of Australia. The aim of this trial was to examine the potential of imidacloprid and triflumuron as active ingredients for ant baits. Baits based on peanut butter and the nitromethy...

A population of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, detected in February 1992, was determined to be well established within a limited residential area of La Mesa, San Diego County, California, U.S.A. The large size of workers and soldiers, and annual swarms of reproduc...

In North America 20 species of Camponotus have been recorded as pest species causing either structural damage or occurring as nuisance species. Structurally damaging species are found in the subgenera: Camponotus. Tanaemyrmex, and Myrmothrix. Carpenter ants causing the most serious damage in eastern...