September 2011. Termites are eating the house of a member from PNG. The questions were, what is it, and is Termidor (fipronil) the chemcial to use to manage the pest as it is taken back to the nest.

A member wrote:

The termites look like Coptotermes sp. To identify to species requires detailed measurements of a series (at least 5) soldiers and/or DNA techniques.

Theodore Evans, National University of Singapore, is currently revising the Coptotermes genus. He is keen to get specimens of Coptotermes from the Pacific and would welcome a sample of this species, or any others that PestNet members would like to send.

Regarding control, Termidor?? would be a good choice. It gets carried by the termites back to the nest. BASF have recently also brought out a dust formulation which can be dusted into galleries. The label gives a range of methods for protecting houses or for treating nests.