Use of Chemical and Colorimetric Changes to Age Cryptotermes brevis Frass for Termite Management

William Haigh; Babar Hassan; Tengfei Yi; R. Andrew Hayes

doi:10.3390/insects15120924

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Use of Chemical and Colorimetric Changes to Age Cryptotermes brevis Frass for Termite Management

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Use of Chemical and Colorimetric Changes to Age Cryptotermes brevis Frass for Termite Management

William Haigh, Babar Hassan, Tengfei Yi and R. Andrew Hayes

Insects, Vol.15(12), pp.1-11

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15120924

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Abstract

West Indian drywood termite

frass chemitry

pest management

fumigation

Drywood termites are problematic timber pests worldwide. Cryptotermes brevis, the West Indian drywood termite, is among the most important of these pests, in part due to its cryptic nature, making it hard to detect in structures and thereby easy to transport. Primary detections are commonly made by the observation of frass deposits evacuated through kick-holes, often leading to fumigation of the building to effectively eradicate the pest. However, after treatment, new frass piles are often discovered. It is, then, challenging to determine whether this frass represents reinfestation or is simply old frass dislodged from inactive nests. This may lead to unchecked termite proliferation or expensive fumigation when it is not needed. The ability to assess the age of the found frass would allow inspectors to determine whether a new infestation has occurred. Photocolorimetry has indicated that frass darkens over time, but large differences in the starting color of frass samples limit the usefulness of this as an aging method. Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of the hexane extracts of C. brevis frass samples aged 0–22 months found differences between fresh frass (under 6 months) and those aged over 12 months but could not distinguish between 6- and 12-month-aged frass. Eight compounds accounted for over 70% of the differences between samples and are, thus, targets for chemical analysis of frass of unknown age. While this chemical frass analysis requires fairly sophisticated analytical tools, the cost associated with these processes would pale in comparison with those for unnecessarily fumigating a structure and thus merits further refinement to increase the accessibility of the method.

Details

Title: Use of Chemical and Colorimetric Changes to Age Cryptotermes brevis Frass for Termite Management
Authors: William Haigh (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Babar Hassan - Department of Primary Industries
Tengfei Yi - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research Institute
R. Andrew Hayes - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Forest Research Institute
Publication details: Insects, Vol.15(12), pp.1-11
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2024
DOI: 10.3390/insects15120924
ISSN: 2075-4450
Copyright note: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Data Availability: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors upon request.
Grant note: This research was funded by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, grant number HF12166_6522 and the University of the Sunshine Coast, grant number CAT11810.
Organisation Unit: National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life; Forest Industries Research Centre; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991089697902621
Output Type: Journal article

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