By Michelle Kijek, University of Wisconsin Graduate Student Termite infestation does not generate excitement in most people. But U.S. Forest Service Forest Product Laboratory (FPL) researchers Rachel Arango and Rick Green aren't most people. In fact, this dynamic duo didn't simply find a termite infestation in their laboratory, they strategically built up a colony of 20,000 termites over the past five years. Accommodating the sizable colony in a building that also houses more than 175 employees conducting research on wood use may sound questionable, but it may provide answers to saving one Wisconsin community from termite damage in the future.
Since the mid-1980s, residents of the small central Wisconsin village of Endeavor have sensed they are dealing with a big problem. The 450 residents aren't the only inhabitants of the less than one square mile that Endeavor occupies. Eastern subterranean termites, the ¼-inch-long, cream-colored critters, although rare to Wisconsin, have also taken up residence in Endeavor. "Most people don't even think about termites in this state," Arango said. "But we definitely do have some isolated pockets of termites, and in Wisconsin these colonies tend to be quite large when compared with colonies down south." When entomologist Phil Pellitteri, who runs the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Extension's insect diagnostic lab, was first contacted about Endeavor's infestation in 1996, the outlook was bleak. "I heard a comment that they had a researcher come and say this was the worst infestation he's seen in the United States outside of Hawaii," Pellitteri said. "The termites were so bad the tubes were coming from the ceiling down. You would go into the second floor of a house and tap on the windowsill and it was just toast." That same year, Dow AgroSciences started battling the infestation with experimental termite baiting stations. The trial was suspended prematurely a year later, although some termite reduction was noticed. Almost a decade later, Pellitteri got word of Dr. Green's research on a wood preservative that prevented brown rot decay and also acted as a termiticide. Green's newly patented termite bait toxicant—N'N-naphthaloylhydroxylamine (NHA)—proved to be a slow-acting, non-repellant stomach poison that was environmentally friendly and perfect for baiting and killing termites. Given the isolated nature, yet significant size, of the infestation, Green and Arango saw Endeavor as an ideal site to experiment with NHA and the potential for a community-wide eradication scheme. The Endeavor termite eradication team now also includes Dan Keohane of Alternative Pest Solutions (APS), a Madison-based pest control company offering environmentally friendly pest solutions, and Dr. Glen Esenther, a world-renowned termite expert and retired FPL researcher. In December 2005, the team began to implement a plan for community-wide eradication, beginning with a survey sent to Endeavor residents to locate known termite infestations. Endeavor residents have already seen the potential of the research—suppression of termite activity in the downtown area and reduced damage to homes and commercial buildings—but not all residents are taking advantage of the opportunity. "Not all residents have installed bait stations, but some have termites," said June Schumacher, a resident of Endeavor. "It's sort of the put-your-head-in-the-sand response. I just truly don't understand it. We've done everything possible: lots of publicity, free inspections, postcards to people in the infected area, and people still ignore the problem." Preliminary monitoring of active termite pockets was initiated in 2006 using 200 baiting stations provided by the FPL. Once some termite sites were identified, Green and Arango began installing additional commercial baiting stations provided by APS. These bait stations consist of a cylindrical tube baited with a termiticide that is placed in the ground. Termites are recruited to the food source by nest mates, ingest the termiticide, feed other termites, and die. Noticing partial suppression of termite activity in the downtown area, the team began to supplement bait stations using trap-treat-and-release dusting. Dusting groups of termites with NHA, the chemical developed by Green at FPL, along with using the commercial baiting system, allows the termites to spread the toxin both by grooming and by sharing food. "Last year, when we tried a dusting system as a way of termite control, we got a good suppression of activity," Esenther said. "But we don't know what that means, so next year we'll do it again to find out if it had any sustainable effect." Green and Arango are currently conducting dusting tests on their simulated field colony while the team waits for spring so they can investigate the Endeavor termite activity. The team hopes Wisconsin residents across the state take heed of the situation in Endeavor and use some common sense preventive measures to protect their communities. "The only way you're going to get termites north of Janesville is from human transport," Green said. "Residents should be aware of that. In most of Wisconsin, you introduce them yourselves with either firewood or landscaping timbers such as railroad ties"—the likely culprit for the Endeavor infestation. "Thirty-one years ago when I first started, it seemed I could name the number of infestations in the state on one hand," Pellitteri said. "Now I've run out of toes and fingers. These little pockets keep popping up."
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