As part of an ongoing continuous improvement process for the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System, a series of field trials were conducted over a three year period to compare the performance of noviflumuron with hexaflumuron, the current active ingredient in RecruitTM II termite bait. Trials were conducted against Coptotermes formosanus, Heterotermes aureus and three species of Reticulitermes spp. This presentation will summarize the results against Reticulitermes spp.
A total of 73 colonies or sites were baited using RecruitTM II Baitube devices containing 0.5% noviflumuron and 53 colonies or sites were baited with standard Recruit II. Both active ingredients eliminated 100% of the colonies. Overall, noviflumuron resulted in a 40-50% reduction in the mean time to elimination, regardless of species. The time of year in which baiting was initiated had a major impact upon the mean time to elimination observed in these trials, with those baited in the last half of the year requiring about two months longer to achieve elimination. The mean reduction in baiting time with noviflumuron was approximately two months for colonies baited in the second quarter of the year and approximately three months for those baited in the third and fourth quarter. Within six months of baiting initiation, noviflumuron eliminated 85% of the colonies compared to 38% with hexaflumuron. In addition to a faster action, noviflumuron resulted in a 30 and 36% reduction in the numbers of Baitube devices installed and consumed, respectively.
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA