Persistency of Chlorpyrifos and Termiban (Imidacloprid) in soil against subterranean termites

Subterranean termites are considered to be one of the most destructive termites in urban areas in Pakistan. Different types of insecticides have been used to control subterranean termites. The present studies were conducted to evaluate the comparative persistency and effectiveness of Termiban (imidacloprid 5 SC) and Chlorpyrifos (40 EC) against subterranean termites in the three type of soils (sand, silt and clay) at different time interval. Two different concentrations (100 and 200 ppm) of selected insecticides were prepared and applied to soil in petri plates and termite were released at different time interval to record mortality. Results showed that at each time interval and concentration, mortality of termite was non-significantly different for both insecticides. When persistency of insecticides was tested under closed condition, results showed that lowest weight loss (8.60%) of wood was observed in Termiban treated soil at 200 ppm which was significant different from rest of the treatments. Similarly, under open conditions, at each time interval, there was significant more mortality of termites in soil treated with Termiban compared to Chlorpyrifos.