• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.206-219
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• 2021

The warming of the climate is increasing the damage caused by termites to wooden buildings, cultural properties and houses. A group removal system can be installed around the building to detect and remove termite damage; however, if the site is not visited regularly, every one to two months, you cannot observe whether termites have spread within, and it is difficult to take prompt effective action. In addition, since the system is installed and operated in an exposed state for a long period of time, it may be ineffective or damaged, resulting in a loss of function. Furthermore if the system is installed near a cultural site, it may affect the aesthetic environment of the site. In this study, we created a detection system that uses wood, cellulose, magnets, and magnetic sensors to determine whether termites have entered the area. The data was then transferred to a low power LoRa Network which displayed the results without the necessity of visiting the site. The wood was made in the shape of a pile, and holes were made from the top to the bottom to make it easier for termites to enter and produce a cellulose sample. The cellulose sample was made in a cylindrical shape with a magnet wrapped in cellulose and inserted into the top of a hole in the wood. Then, the upper part of the wood pile was covered with a stopper to prevent foreign matter from entering. It also served to block external factors such as light and rainfall, and to create an environment where termites could add cellulose samples. When the cellulose was added by the termites, a space was created around the magnet, causing the magnet to either fall or tilt. The magnetic sensor inside the stopper was fixed on the top of the cellulose sample and measured the change in the distance between the magnet and the sensor according to the movement of the magnet. In outdoor experiments, 11 cellulose samples were inserted into the wood detection system and the termite inflow was confirmed through the movement of the magnet without visiting the site within 5 to 17 days. When making further improvements to the function and operation of the system it in the future, it is possible to confirm that termites have invaded without visiting the site. Then it is also possible to reduce damage and fruiting due to product exposure, and which would improve the condition and appearance of cultural properties.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.804-809
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• 2015

Since Korea is home to Reticulitermes speratus, a kind of subterranean termites that prefer dark and humid conditions, there have been increasing damages to wooden structures by termites. One noticeable attribute of Korean subterranean termites is that they prefer than Pinus densiflora, the major construction material for Korean traditional houses. And because wide varieties of termites are distributed all over the world, it is not so easy to choose appropriate control methods depending on specific areas. This necessitates careful applications of the following control methods depending on the kinds of termites: fumigation treatment, soil termiticide, preservatives and insect treatment, termite colony elimination system, chemical treatment, and other physical and biological treatment methods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the control effects of environmentally-friendly Alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ), Copper Azole (CuAZ) and Micronized copper quarter (MCQ) on the termites contributing to the damage of wooden structures. It was found in this study that wood with preservative treatment produced a significantly higher termicidal efficacy than untreated wood.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.171-182
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• 2023

In the Republic of Korea, many of the wooden architectural heritage are located in forests and, therefore, are vulnerable to termite damage. In Korea, the predominant approach to termite control involves chemical control methods using termiticides. The rapid attraction of termites to termiticides is essential to shorten the control period. The current study investigated the attraction of Korean termites to carbon dioxide and the appropriate concentration of carbon dioxide required for effective attraction by conducting a basic experiment on the attracting effect in the underground environment. The results showed that carbon dioxide is effective for attracting termites, and an effective concentration range of 10% or less was selected. Additionally, this study established the potential and applicability of carbon dioxide as an attractant in the control of subterranean termites. Future studies should aim at conducting field studies on the application of carbon dioxide to improve the termite control effect, particularly in preserving wooden architectural heritage.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.194-215
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• 2021

Termites are important decomposers in the ecosystem. They are also economically significant structural pests. In this study, we reviewed the developments of termite control and recent research on termite management to provide information on the prevention and control of termites. In Korea, most of the damage to wooden historical buildings is caused by subterranean termites. Reticulitermes speratus kyushuensis is the main species, which is widely found throughout the country. In the early 1900s, inorganic insecticides, such as arsenic dust, were used for termite control. After the synthesis of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide in the 1940s, it was widely utilized and demonstrated high termite control efficacy. However, chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides were later banned, disappearing from markets after reports emerged concerning environmental contamination and toxicity to humans. Therefore, the termite control industry sought a new termiticide; hence many pesticides were utilized for termite control. Organophosphate (1960s), carbamate (1970s), pyrethroid, and insect growth inhibitor (1980s) were newly synthesized and adopted. In the 1990s, the first commercial baits using chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSI) were developed, providing a means to eliminate an entire colony of subterranean termites around a structure. Many studies have been carried out on soil termiticides (liquid termiticides) and CSI baits to increase their efficacy, and different baits such as aboveground bait stations, fluid bait, and high-durability bait were also developed in the 2000s. In addition, the paradigm of termite control has shifted from localized treatments using soil termiticides to area-wide pest management using CSI baits to create termite-free zones and protect buildings over time. Termite infestations in wooden historical buildings in Korea have been reported since 1980, and considerable attention was drawn in the 1990s when several UNESCO world heritages such as the Jongmyo Shrine and the Janggyeong Panjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple were infested by subterranean termites. Since then, a survey of termite infestation in wooden architectural heritage has been conducted, and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Heritage Care Program regularly monitors those properties. Finally, we suggest termite management using primarily CSI baits, selective application of various soil treatments applied to the object, foundation soil treatment, research and development of durable termite baits, application of area-wide programs for wooden-building complexes, application of integrated termite management (ITM), and regular education for owners and managers to prevent and reduce termite damage.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.227-235
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• 2019

In Korea, various methods are applied to prevent wooden structures from being damaged by termites. However, since there is no way to quickly bring toxic substances in contact with the termites inside the timber, it leads to the damage of wooden cultural property due to the prolonged period of controlling the termites. Accordingly, an indoor evaluation criteria study was conducted for the introduction of powder-type termiticides in Korea, which produced rapid control effects by drilling wood and directly contacting and transferring toxic substances inside the timber. First, contact toxicity and transfer ability of termite dusts were evaluated to establish the criteria for evaluation of effectiveness against Reticulitermes speratus. The contact toxicity confirmed 100% mortality of fipronil, deltamethrin and cyfluthrin termite dusts within 24 h of contact; however, differences occurred in the active ingredient transfer time to the sublethal. In addition, in the case of transfer ability evaluation, the rate of mortality gradually decreased under 1:9 and 1:25 ratio conditions; however, the difference in the reduction rate was identified depending on the type of termite dust. the results of the evaluation of compressive strength of the wood showed that the difference in the measured values between the control group and the conditions of perforation 1 to 3 times, which does not significantly affect the compressive strength of wood. In this study, the criteria of termite dust selection and evaluation method of dust-type termiticides were presented and the applicability of the method was identified.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1994.07b
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• pp.1643-1645
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• 1994

It has been reported frequently that damage to underground electric power cable was brought about, due to attack by Insect such as termite (white-ant) and by rodent such as rat, in tropical and semitropical areas. Among these cable damages, we are likely to describe the damage to cable by termites as causing the severe trouble in cable operation and to solve this trouble with termite-proof method regarded as the most effective and economical one. This report covers our experiences of manufacturing the cable for anti-termite purpose and its intrinsic properties in cable operation.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.376-392
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• 2020

In Korea, damages to wooden cultural properties by termites have been reported all over the country, including Ulleungdo Island and Jeju Island. In order to reduce the damage caused by termites, most cultural properties damaged by them are treated with fumigation or drug treatment on the soil to kill or repel them. The number of treatments is decreasing due to cost and safety problems, and new methods needed to cope with this situation. After extracting an enzyme by selecting only worker termites from the termites collected in Shinan, Jeonnam, as a result of measuring the enzyme activity using xylan of cellulose and hemicellulose that are the components of wood, the activity of termite intestinal enzymes in xylan was higher than that of cellulose having a high molecular weight. Therefore, in this study, as a result of exploring over 600 species of medicinal plant extracts that inhibit the activity of termite intestinal enzymes using xylan as a substrate, the inhibitory effect was significant in Borneolum Syntheticum, Ephedra sinica, and Menthol. Selected Borneolum Syntheticum, Ephedra sinica, and Menthol's extracts not only inhibited the activity of termite intestinal enzymes, but also confirmed that they have insecticidal activation and inhibitory effects on feeding in the result of the direct treatment.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.80-86
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• 2022

Termites cause massive damage to wooden architectural heritage structures. Chemical treatments have been commonly used to control them. In foreign countries, physical barriers made of sheet and particles impenetrable to termite are being used as an alternative to the chemical method. To study the efficacy of physical barriers, we investigated the appropriate sand particle size that can prevent the penetration of R. speratus kyushuensis. Upon evaluating the barrier properties of sand with particle sizes ranging from 0.85 to 4.00 mm, the penetration of termites was found to be effectively blocked at a particle size range of 1.00 to 2.80 mm. At smaller particle sizes, termites managed to move the sand particles and build an almost linear mud tube to penetrate the sand layer. At larger particle sizes, the termites could penetrate the sand layer by passing through the sand gaps.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2010

The damage from the underground termite cannot be discovered with peculiar appearance of building but hollow phenomenon will occur. But there is no case in Korea as a non-destructive measurement of termite activation. Therefore, this research constructs non-destructive diagnostic techniques for wooden cultural properties using microwave detector (Termatrac, Australia). Result of maximun distance were measured 16cm (Pine tree, sensitivity 5, 6), 17cm (Zelkova and Douglas fir, sensitivity 5, 6). These results are expected that can be applied in the field. Result of field test using microwave detector, 33.8% of the wooden cultural properties were damaged by termites, and until now 7.8% (18 buildings) are being damaged in nationwide (total 231 buildings). Based on the above results, microwave detector will be able to be utilized effectively for detecting termite, preventing intrusion in wooden structure, and making full use of monitoring system periodically. In addition, it could be of great worth in preventing insect and microorganism in wooden structure.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.262-275
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• 2024

In Indonesia, Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren and Cryptotermes cyanocephalus Light termite attacks can damage wood and causing losses of 8.7 trillion rupiah per year. Wood treatment and soil barrier are very important to protect structures and their components from termite infestation. The application of synthetic chemicals that pose risks to the environment and human health. The growing movement to replace these chemicals with new termiticides that are safe for the environment in place of persistent organic pollutants. Efficacy performance in entomopathogenic fungi spores such as that produce decanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, palmitic acid, and octadecadienoic acid are potential compounds that provide for ecofriendly termite control. Entomopathogenic fungal spores from Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma harzianum, and Beauveria bassiana, as the active ingredient were formulated with nanocellulose was added as an inert ingredient to which helped to deliver the active ingredients on controlling the target pest, and enhance the utility ability of the product fungi to control termites. The mortality of these termites successively entomopathogenic fungi was the main cause of death. The higher concentrations being associated with of nanocellulose used affect increased the number of termites mortality. M. anisopliae paired with 60% nanocellulose concentrate was the best percentage for yielded the greatest C. curvignathus and C. cynocephalus termite control. In the field testing, M. anisopliae provided better, it showed the finest result of termite control rather than B. bassiana and T. harzianum. The results of the research indicate that entomopathogenic fungi can be used for Pest Control Management as the subterranean termite and drywood termite control.