Reliable Laboratory Trial For Testing Innovative Anti-Termite Barriers

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 against different termites with
distinct foraging strategies and/or aggressiveness. This work is presenting a laboratory trial that could be considered as a first step in an anti-termite barrier development. The laboratory test was set up with different barriers and is including Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) or Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (ex. santonensis De Feytaud). To improve the test robustness with R. flavipes, far less aggressive and virulent, the barriers were punctured in order to allow primers for termite attack. This method, including a large number of termites (600 workers per test device) was shown discriminant especially for R. flavipes presenting a lower attack level compared to C. gestroi. It was reproducible and reliable to assess the barrier performances and could be considered as a first step evaluation.