Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Vernard Lewis
1
* and Brian Forschler
2
1
University of California, USA;
2
University of Georgia, USA
Introduction
detection and targeted control for drywood
termites, their adoption by industry and
consumers is still lacking or in its infancy.
The following sections review the interplay
of science, pesticide policy and management
options directed at drywood termites.
Global trends indicating increased urban-
ization combined with the use and move-
ment of wood and cellulose-containing
products ensures that drywood termites
will maintain their status as an invasive and
economically important pest. Drywood
termite taxonomy, biology and ecology have
a long history that includes academic
research and industry efforts directed at
their control. This history, at least three
centuries old, has involved dozens of aca-
demic institutions and regulatory agencies,
as well as thousands of property owners
and pest management companies, in pro-
ducing copious pages of scientifi c and
popular press publications. The dominant
feature seen in the published works on
drywood termite management has been the
almost exclusive use of pesticides. However,
a greater emphasis on a more holistic and
systematic approach involving a better
understanding of a pest's natural history,
represented by the philosophy of integrated
pest management (IPM), has led to innov-
ations directed at easing the economic and
social impact of this group of important
cellulose recyclers. Although recent research
shows promise for improved methods of
Evolution of Termite Nomenclature
Termites roamed this planet long before
humans and it was not until the 10th edition
of Systema Naturae (Linnaeus, 1758) that a
formalized nomenclature was created and
established for identifying them. The genus
level term
Termes
(Latin for woodworm;
Borror, 1960) was used to describe apterous
insect samples from India and Africa, and
two species in the genus
Hemerobius
from
Suriname were named from winged samples
(Krishna
et al.
, 2013 [p. 11]). Classifi cation
was very different in the 1700s and all
termites were considered kin to springtails,
lice and lacewings (Krishna
et al.
, 2013
[p. 11-12]). The caste structure of termites
added to the confusion, and it took another
74 years until Brullé, in 1832, fi rst coined
the name Isoptera because the winged
reproductives (alates) have four equal-sized
wings (Krishna
et al.
, 2013 [p. 18]).
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