Pest Management Professional, March 2014

USDA Forest Service Termiticide Report Continued from page 42 For the ground board test a 6 inch square pine board is centered on 17 inch square plot of exposed termiticide treated soil Fig 2 The board is held in place with a brick In the concrete slab test the treated plot area is also 17 inches square Treated soil is covered by a polyethylene vapor barrier before a 21 inch square concrete slab is poured around a 4 inch diameter PVC pipe placed at the center Fig 3 After the concrete sets the vapor barrier is cut out and removed from the bottom of the pipe and a 35 by 25 by 15 inch rectangular pine block is placed on the treated soil at the bottom of the pipe Finally a PVC cap is placed on the pipe to prevent weathering of the treated soil Fig 4 Termiticides are applied to the soil at an equivalent preconstruction volume of 1 gallon per 10 square feet in both test types Data are collected annually about the extent of damage done by termites to each block and board as well as the presence or absence of live termites infesting test blocks or boards Figure 4 A completed concrete slab plot Damage data are collected using the Gulfport scale 0 no damage 1 nibbles to surface etching 2 light damage with penetration 3 moderate damage 4 heavy damage and 5 board or block destroyed Performance Standards For the purposes of termiticide registration there are two standards for efficacy The first standard is EPAs Test Guideline OPPTS 8103600 used in the federal registration of candidate products The other standard used is the state of Florida Termiticide Efficacy Rule 5e 20311 FAC These standards apply to different termiticide uses The Florida rule applies to preventive applications for new construction whereas the federal guideline applies to directions for pre and postconstruction applications of the product For federal registration of a candidate termiticide the product should prevent termites from penetrating treated soil in all test plots for at least five years using the concrete slab test method at the lowest label rate that will be registered For this reason the data in the EPA sections of Tables 1 and 2 of this report are given in years of 100 percent control Success for a candidate termiticide under the Florida rule is defined differently than success under the federal guideline The Florida rule considers only data collected in Southeastern states Under this rule success for a candidate termiticide occurs when it prevents damage more severe than ASTM 9 equivalent to a Gulfport rating of 1 to greater than 90 percent of all test blocks or boards for five years in one or more of the Southeastern sites A minimum of 10 concrete slab plots is required All test plots are evaluated annually and each year is considered independently for the 90 percent threshold Previous or cumulative infestations of plots arent considered Continued on page 48 Figure 2 A newly treated ground board plot Figure 3 A study in Florida after treatment but before concrete pouring 44 March 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net