Toxicity and Nonrepellency of Spinosad and Spinetoram on Formosan Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Spinosyn products, spinosad and spinetoram, are widely used to control various agricultural pests. Spinosad has been tested on Kalotermitidae and Termitidae but not on Rhinotermitidae, the most destructive of termite families. In this study, we tested the effect of spinosad and spinetoram on Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. Both no-choice and choice tests were conducted using three concentrations, 1 ppm, 25 ppm, and 50 ppm, of the spinosyn products Entrust, Tracer, and Radiant on three substrates, sand, soil, and filter paper. In the no-choice test in sand, >85% mortality was observed at 25 and 50 ppm after 1 d of exposure followed by 100% mortality at 7 d. Similarly, after 7 d at 25 and 50 ppm in soil and filter paper, 100% mortality was observed, but compared to sand at 1 d, mortality was low. In the two-choice test, observations before the onset of termite mortality showed that none of the products or concentrations was repellent. Likewise, in the multiple-choice test, there was no repellency or preference of termites among 1 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, control, and release chamber at all three concentrations, and the tunnel area in the control and treated choices were not significantly different. These findings support the nonrepellent attribute of spinosyns on C. formosanus .