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Ampicillin, tetracycline and urea as protozoicides for symbionts of Reticulitermes flavipes and R. virginicus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Deborah Ann Waller
Deborah Ann Waller*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA
*
Deborah A. Waller, Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA.
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Abstract

The development of palatable baits for the suppresion of pest termites relies on combining phagostimulants with slow-acting toxicants that termite foragers carry back to the colony and distribute to nest-mates. In the present study the palatability and toxic effects of three compounds, ampicillin, tetracycline and urea to the subterranean termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and R. virginicus (Banks) were investigated. 1.0% solutions (w/v) of ampicillin and tetracycline applied to filter paper were unpalatable to termites in choice tests, and these concentrations depressed termite feeding, survivorship, individual biomass, and numbers of gut protozoa in no-choice tests. In contrast, urea solutions of 0.1%, 1.0% and 5.0% (w/v) were palatable to termites in choice tests, but 5.0% urea solutions depressed termite survivorship and protozoan numbers in no-choice tests. Addition of urea to tetra- cycline solutions resulted in increased palatability and decreased termite survivorship over tetracycline administered alone. The toxic effects in combination with its palatability to Reticulitermes spp. indicate that urea may be a promising candidate for termite control programmes.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 86 , Issue 1 , February 1996 , pp. 77 - 81
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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