Long-Awaited Nonchemical Alternatives to Drywood
Termite Control Study Completed
INTRODUCTION
The much anticipated University of California and USDA Forest Service study on alternatives to fumigation for drywood termite control has been completed. Five years in the making, the study created and built a garage sized building for tests, treated over 86,000 termites, and all at a cost of about $200,000. The original 90 page report is available through the Structur al Pest Control Board and University of California.
Thousands of letters and phone calls have been received from homeowners inquiring about the report. In addition, the results of this report are being used to support a lawsuit by the California Attorney General's Office alleging false and misleading claims against at least one pest control firm that uses one of the treatment methods tested. A referred scientific journal version of the report will appear in the Journal of Economic Entomology in August 1996. The information that follows is a more concise version of the state report and journal article.