Comparative protozoidal activities of different chemical extracts from various parts of three different woods on the entozoic flagellates of two termite species

The two termite species Heterotermes indicola and Coptotermes heimi  belonges to lower termites are comonly found in the houses and feed upon wooden materials.They harbour flagellates in their  hindgut as symbionts which secreates cellulases for the digestion of wood.   

                  In the present studies the soluble chemicals in water ,benzene-ethanol and chlroform were extracted by soxhelt apparatus from different parts (bark, sapwood and heartwood) of stems of Eucalyptus cammeldulensis, Delbergia sissoo and Acacia arabica . Termite workers (100) of Coptotermes heimi and Heterotermes indicola  were forced to feed upon filter papers impregnated with extracts for one week and studied the comparative effects of different extracts on survival of protozoans (flagellates). Flagellates population was calculated after each 24hr using haemocytometer. A control was run parallel in which termites workers were fed upon filter paper, not imprignated with any of the extracts but dipped in solvents and then dried.

            It was found that variuos chemical extracts benzene-ethanol,chloroform and water have varible toxicity for flagellates residing in their hind gut.After 6^th day of experiment the termites workers (Coptotermes heimi) feeding on benzene-ethanol extracts of bark of Eucalyptus cammeldulensis showed  86.66% mortality of flagellates residing in their hindgut as compared to the 1^st day while chloroform extracts showed 81.47 % mortality.The extracts benzene-ethanol and chloroform of  bark of Delbergia sissoo  also showed 95% and 74.42%  mortality respectively after 6^th  day and the bark of Acacia arabica also proved to be toxic for flagellates as 93.3% mortality was seen in  benzene-ethanol and 53.42% in Chloroform extracts.  The termites feeding on filterpaper imprignated with sapwood  extracts of Eucalyptus cammeldulensis in  benzene-ethanol  showed  90.6% mortality  and  in chloroform showed 95.3% mortality  after 6^th day  of feeding and  the termites feeding on filterpaper imprignated with heartwood extracts of Eucalyptus cammeldulensis in similar solvents underwent   100 % and 91.3% mortality in their flagellates population respectively. The sapwood and heartwood extracts of Delbergia sissoo in both organic solvents used in experiments also showed variable toxicity towards flagellates. Similar is the case with  sapwood and heartwood of Acacia arabica as both benzene-ethanol and chloroform soluble chemicals were toxic for the growth of flagellates.In contrast the water soluble chemicals of all wood parts of three woods tested  demonstrate no mortality instead there is an increase in flagellate ^‘s population. In control experiments no significant variations in flagellates population were observed.

 Similar findings were observed in the experiments performed on Heterotermes indicola.  

           It is formulated that some protozoicidal chemicals which are organic solvents are present in variable concentrations in different parts of wood can be characterised and isolated to be used for termites control instead of using termiticides.