Pest Management Professional, March 2014

NPMA Tips TERMITES Dr Jim Fredericks t Contributor Protecting property NPMA develops task force to address termite treatments O ne hundred and thirtyeight years ago Harvard Universitys Dr Hermann Hagen the first full professor of entomology in the United States warned the readers of American Naturalist magazine about the probable danger of white ants We must know we live surrounded by such enemies and that great destruction can be done Hagens prediction about white ants or termites was an understatement More than a decade ago Dr Nan Yao Su estimated subterranean termites have a total economic impact of more than 10 billion In 2012 Su and PMP Hall of Famer Dr Michael Rust estimated based on 2010 data termites were responsible for 40 billion of control and repair costs worldwide Of that 80 percent is attributed to subterranean termites Additionally the National Pest Management Association NPMA estimates termites cause 5 billion in damage in the United States annually Its not surprising then pest management professionals PMPs take pride in their role of protecting property from wood destroying termites Five methods of preconstruction termite protection are recognized by the U S Office of Housing and Urban Development HUD soil applied liquid termiticide wood applied liquid termiticide termite bait system installation physical termite barrier and the use of pressure treated lumber In most cases the use of pressure treated lumber is cost prohibitive so the first four methods used by PMPs remain the most prevalent While product technologies used in preconstruction termite treatments have advanced dramatically during the past 15 years label instructions for liquid applications have remained essentially the same since the mid 1990s Despite the fact termiticide label instructions for postconstruction termiticides are allowing for more targeted application methods and reduced rates based on advances in formulations and efficacy preconstruction treatment instructions have remained stagnant To address this the NPMA developed the Blue Ribbon Termite Pretreat Task Force comprised of PMPs regulators manufacturers and university entomologists The objectives of the group are to review preconstruction termite label instructions identify data needs consider regulatory concerns and develop recommendations for how preconstruction treatments could be improved in the future Hagens 19th century prediction was correct Termites turned out to be a significant danger to dwellings but when he predicted white ants could be a threat to human structures he couldnt have envisioned the 5 billion of damage termites inflict on the United States today After all the total gross domestic product of the United States in 1880 was about 10 billion So its with the same forward thinking attitude the NPMAs Pretreat Task Force begins its work of identifying the needs of PMPs as they work to protect the homes and businesses of their customers using the termite control tools of the 21st century For more information about the group visit www npmapestworld org PMP References Hagen H A 1876 The probable danger from white ants American Naturalist 10 401 410 Rust M K and N Y Su 2012 Managing social insects of urban importance Annual Review of Entomology 57 355 375 Su N Y 2002 Novel technologies for subterranean termite control Sociobiology 40 95 101 You can reach Dr Fredericks technical director for the National Pest Management Association NPMA at jfredericks@ pestworld org Hagens 19th century prediction was correct Termites turned out to be a significant danger to dwellings 108 March 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net