Effect of Drying Temperature on Resistance of Commercial and Non-Commercial Woods Against Microtermes obesi (Holmgren) under Laboratory and Field Conditions

Syed Shamsheer Abbas Ali Shah1, Ayesha Aihetasham1* and Khalid Zamir Rasib2

1Institute of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.

2Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Eight species of wood were tested for their natural resistance and to reveal feeding behavior of Microtermes obesi. In “No choice” laboratory experiments, Melia azedarach Linn was found highly resistant and Populus alba highly palatable. The impact of drying temperature (60°C, 70°C, 80°C, 90°C and 100°C) was studied. The amount of wood consumed in general, increased with increase in drying temperature indicating that heat contributed to the loss of natural resistance components of the woods. When M. obesi was given a choice and the woods were offered in combination of two, this termite species repeated its instinct, easily identified the more preferred wood and consumed more of it. Consequently, M. obesi showed maximum feeding on P. alba and the minimum on M. azedarach Linn.

Article Information

Received 04 January 2024

Revised 19 January 2024

Accepted 31 January 2024

Available online 22 March 2024

(early access)

Published 08 May 2025

Authors’ Contribution

The experimental work was conducted by SSAAS under the supervision of AA and KZR. All authors have contributed equally to the manuscript write-up and data analysis.

Key words

Resistance, Commercial and non-commercial, Impact of drying temperature

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/20240104124453

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

0030-9923/2025/0003-1381 $ 9.00/00

Copyright 2025 by the authors. Licensee Zoological Society of Pakistan.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

INTRODUCTION

As being susceptible basic structural material, wood is attacked by wood destroying insects such as termites (Indrayani et al., 2014). Significant structural damages might be result of attack, leading to early replacement and reduction of service life wooden structure (Acda, 2004). Yet the other recognized severe damage by termites is damage to buildings (Ugbomeh and Diboyesuku, 2019). 

The mutual interaction of termites, bacteria and fungi to digest food causes organic waste to decompose (Su et al., 2016; Zhou et al., 2019). Termites have different feeding preferences based on quality and composition of phytochemicals (Fraga et al., 2020). Carbohydrate rich timber thus provides the required nutrients to termites (Poissonnier et al., 2018). As time goes on, baiting issuccessful in diverse ecosystems and useful for tracking termite activity (Davies et al., 2021).

Subterranean termites have a deep relationship with soil habitat, where they dig tunnels to find food and water including timber, broken lumber and other items having cellulose (Suiter et al., 2009) and also having a habit of moving by forming networks in the ground (Im and Han, 2020). Termites are also seen in human settlements, besides being found in nature where they attack various valuable properties. They consume a wide range of wood worldwide however some wood species are resilient to termites or containing compounds that prevent them from feeding. Strong accepted parameter like palatability is used to determine consumption rate for natural selection of wood species by termites but certain wood species are resistant and least preferred by termites (Rasib et al., 2014).

More than 3,000 termite species have been identified in tropics, subtropics and temperate regions (Su and Scheffrahn, 2000; Ali et al., 2021). Conversely, only 183 species of the studied varieties (Hassan and Morrell, 2021) from the world’s tropical and subtropical climates significantly harm structures, furniture and other timber products (Hassan et al., 2017). Termites, one of the most destructive pests in the tropics, cause significant damages to forestry, agriculture and homes (Ahmed et al., 2016; Rasib et al., 2022). The termite community represents high species diversity (Akpan et al., 2020).

Fifty-three species of termites make up Pakistan’s termite fauna, 13 of which are considered enemies of forests, buildings and agriculture (Hassan, 2017). Microtermes and Odontotermes species are prominent agricultural crop pests in Pakistan among fungus growing termites (Akhtar and Sarwar, 2003). Due to their diverse eating patterns, subterranean termites consume nearly every sort of fibrous material (Rasib et al., 2014; Afzal et al., 2017).

Coptotermes (Rhinotermitidae), being a destructive pest, is greatly dispersed beyond its original Southeast Asian region and has deteriorated live trees like poplar, mulberry and Dalbergia sissoo (Gentz et al., 2008). It is widely distributed in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India (Ramdev and Sharma, 2013). In various regions of Punjab, C. heimi along with Odontotermes and Microtermes is found abundantly (Ahmed et al., 2006, 2007). Since Pakistan enjoys a variety of climates, from tropical to moderate, it has a vast variety of morphological and meteorological factors that are ideal for supporting a wide range of termite fauna. The goal of this study was to evaluate M. obesi’s preference for eight different woods dried at varying temperatures under both choice and no-choice feeding.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Termite collection

Termite workers were collected from different areas of Gujranwala District, including Nowshera virkan (31.9630° N, 73.9742° E), Kamoki (31.9900°N, 74.3822°E), Gujranwala sadder (32.1667oN, 73.8333oE) and Gujranwala city (32.166351o N, 74.195900o E), and from agricultural crops and fallen logs infested with termites under natural conditions in hot rainy weather from mid June 2022 to August 2022 by using camel brush.

Termites were also collected by baiting them with sugarcane stalks to obtain maximum number of termites. The collection of termites was also carried out using artificial baiting methods, such as bucket traps and plastic bottles with small holes at the base as well as on the sides to permit the entry of termites into the baits. The baits were buried in the soil to a quarter of their length and regularly inspected twice a month (Rasib et al., 2017; Rasib and Ashraf, 2014). By using the identification keys the specimen was recognized as M. obesi (Ahmad, 1955; Akhtar, 1983). Only healthy and active termites were used for bioassays. The soil was taken from the garden area of Govt. High School Babbar Nowshera virkan, Gujranwala, sieved and then oven dried for 24 h at 70 oC (Aihetasham and Iqbal, 2012).

Selection of wooden species

Some significant commercial and non-commercial wooden species of economic importance were selected from different areas of District Gujranwala. Most of the wooden species were cut from standing trees except Alstonia scholaris (Alstonia), Populus alba (Papalar) and Ficus benjamina (Ficus). They were taken from commercial timber yard. Many diverse varieties of trees were present, but 8 different types of trees of economic importance were selected for choice and no-choice bioassay under both laboratory and field conditions. These species were Psidium guajava (Guava), Alstonia scholaris (Alstonia), Populus alba (Papalar), Ficus benjamina (Ficus), Ficus benghalensis (Bargad), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Melia azedarach Linn (Dharaik) and Melia pinnata (Sukhchain). Each wood was cut in blocks of size of 10×5×1 cm. Fine grade sandpaper was used to smooth the sides of the block to encourage active foraging, as termites are uncomfortable with rough surfaces. The blocks were dried at 60oC, 70oC, 80oC, 90oC and 100oC for 48 h before exposure to termites. The moisture content of woods was altered after drying, so distilled water was used to maintain the moisture levels.

No-choice assays under laboratory conditions

Dried wooden blocks were placed in glass beakers and 300 worker termites were released in each beaker. The wooden block was kept suitably moist. Three replicates of wooden blocks were used for each wood. Glass beakers were maintained at 27°C for 8 weeks in Govt. High School Babbar Nowshera virkan, Gujranwala. At the end of the test period the blocks were dried at the same temperature at which they were dried before exposing to termites. The wood consumption was calculated by applying the formula: WL= (W1­-W2)/ W1 x100. Moreover, termite survivorship was recorded and the formula shown below was used to compute per individual’s wood consumption = (W1-W2)/N. W1 is pre weight and W2 is post weight of the timber blocks and N is the number of workers (M. obesi). WL stands for the wood loss.

Choice assays under laboratory conditions

Paired choice tests were conducted to compare the preference of M. obesi for P. guajava vs A. scholaris (PG/AS), F. benghalensis vs F. benjamina (FB/FB), P. alba vs A. indica (PA/AI) and M. azedarach Linn vs M. pinnata (MA/MP). Timber blocks were arranged in combinations to assess the mass loss by comparing one wood pair with another pair. This feeding preference comparison was considered to be more indicative of a feeding choice that termites encounter in their natural environment. Therefore, termites had the choice of consuming whichever wood block they chose and avoiding those that they did not prefer or find palatable. Each pair of test or wood blocks was placed in a glass beaker and 300 worker termites were introduced into it. The glass beakers were maintained under the same conditions as in the no-choice trials, i.e., at 27°C for 8 weeks. The wood consumption rate was calculated using the following formula: WC= W1-W2; Where WC is the weight of wood consumed, W1 is the pre-weight and W2 is the post-weight of particular timber blocks.

No choice assays under field conditions

Three replicas of each type of dried wood were knotted into distinct bundle and placed 30 cm below the surface near termite-destructive timbers in botanical garden of Gulshan E Iqbal Park Gujranwala, and Govt. High School Babbar Nowshera virkan, Gujranwala. Sugarcane molasses were applied to every replica as a termite attractant and moisture preserver. All bundles were taken out of the field at the conclusion of the field experiment after 8 weeks, weighted again and dehydrated at the same temperature as before even being exposed to termite. The proportion of mass loss caused by M. obesi in the wood blocks was calculated as before.

Choice assays under field conditions

Three replicates of each dried timber blocks were tied and arranged together using wire and buried 30 cm deep into the soil, vertically as well as horizontally, into different locations of botanical garden of Gulshan E Iqbal Park and Govt. High School Babbar Nowshera virkan, Gujranwala. The paired timber blocks were removed to estimate the wood consumption rate by applying the following formula: WC= W1-W2. W1 and W2 are pre and post weight of particular wooden blocks.

Statistical analysis

On the conclusion of the no-choice laboratory trials, data on wood consumption, percentage of wood consumption and percentage of survival were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. Data obtained in the choice laboratory and field trials were statistically analyzed using a paired comparison t-test. Similarly, the percentage of mass loss in wood species in the no-choice field trails was analyzed using Tukey’s test.

RESULTS

No-choice under laboratory conditions

Table I shows wood consumption (mg) and percent wood consumption both in laboratory and field conditions, whereas Table II shows percent survival of termites

 

(M. obesi) on different wooden blocks dried at different temperatures. The no-choice feeding trials under laboratory conditions indicate that maximum wood consumption was observed on the wooden blocks of P. alba dried at 100oC among the 8 different wood species when tested against M. obesi. However, minimum consumption was recorded on wooden blocks of M. azedarach Linn when dried at 100oC. Survival of termites also showed an increase with increase in temperature at which the blocks were dried.

 

Table II. Survival (%) of M. obesi under no-choice laboratory trials on wooden blocks dried at different temperatures after 8 weeks exposure.

Wood species	Survival (%) at different temperature
	60oC	70oC	80oC	90oC	100oC
P. alba	34.3	45.3	57.3	65.3	75.3
F. benghalensis	15.3	19	27.3	41.6	56
P. guajava	15.6	17	22.3	39.6	53
F. benjamina	8.6	12.3	14.6	28	47.3
A. scholaris	13	19.3	22.6	33	47
M. pinnata	10.3	13.6	15	19.3	25.6
A. indica	5.3	6	7.3	9.6	13.3
M. azedarach Linn	3.3	4.6	5.3	6.6	7.3

 

M. obesi consumed wood blocks dried at 60oC in the following order P. alba > P. guajava > A. scholaris > F. benghalensis > F. benjamina > M. pinnata > A. indica > M. azedarach Linn. Wooden blocks dried at 100oC were consumed with following preference P. alba > F. benghalensis > P. guajava > F. benjamina > A. scholaris > M. pinnata > A. indica > M. azedarach Linn (Table I).

 

Generally, survival of workers of M. obesi increased with the increase of temperature. The survival on wooden blocks dried at 60oC was as in the descending order: P. alba > P. guajava > F. benghalensis > A. scholaris > M. pinnata > F. benjamina > A. indica > M. azedarach Linn. When wooden blocks were dried at 100oC the above trend was as P. alba > F. benghalensis > P. guajava > F. benjamina > A. scholaris > M. pinnata > A. indica > M. azedarach Linn. The percent survival at 100oC was much higher compared to 60oC. The percentage increase of survival at 100oC compared to that of 60oC was 75.33% for P. alba, 56% for F. benghalensis, 53% for P. guajava, 47.33% for F. benjamina, 47% for A. scholaris, 25.66% for M. pinnata, 13.33% for A. indica and 7.33% for M. azedarach Linn (Table II).

From above results, it can be concluded that wood consumption preference by M. obesi was variable according to the kind of wooden species and this change in feeding preferences with increased temperature can be credited to two reasons, either this termite species feeding behavior was different from other termite species or exposing woods to termites, were distinctly different and fed variably and therefore might give different results.

Choice under laboratory conditions

The termite workers easily identified the palatable wood from paired wood. At 60oC, maximum wood consumption was observed on P. alba and minimum consumption was observed on M. azedarach Linn (Table IV). Wood consumption was increased with the increased temperature treatment and survival rate also vary (Tables III and IV).

 

Table III. Survival (%) of M. obesi under choice laboratory trials on wooden blocks dried at different temperatures after 8 weeks exposure.

Wood combination*	Survival (%) at different temperature
	60oC	70oC	80oC	90oC	100oC
P. alba/ A. indica	40/3	48/4	60/6	68/11	78/11
F. benghalensis/ F. benjamina	13/13	14/17	15/22	30/33	53/47
P. guajava/A. scholaris	13/12	19/13	26/16	39/24	50/37
M. azedarach Linn/ M. pinnata	1/8	3/9	3/13	5/20	7/27

 

*Each wooden block was paired with a wooden block of other species (Wood-1/Wood-2) in a glass beaker containing 300 workers of M. obesi.

 

At 100oC, the maximum preferred wood was P. alba by M. obesi. It shows that increased in temperature had profound impact on the wood resistance against M. obesi.

Table III shows percent survival of termite workers in choice feeding laboratory trials on different combination of wooden blocks at different temperatures. At 60oC, the percent survival in descending order was as follows: P. alba vs A. indica (PA/AI) > F. benghalensis vs F. benjamina (FB/FB) = P. guajava vs A. scholaris (PG/AS) > M. azedarach Linn vs M. pinnata (MA/MP). At 100oC, this order was as follows: P. alba vs A. indica > F. benghalensis vs F. benjamina > P. guajava vs A. scholaris > M. azedarach Linn vs M. pinnata.

No- choice under field conditions

Among 8 species of woods, maximum percentage of mass loss (18 g) at 60oC under no-choice field conditions was recorded on wooden blocks of P. alba and minimum mass loss (80.6 mg) was observed on wooden blocks of M. azedarach Linn. Maximum consumption was observed at

 

100oC on wooden blocks of P. alba was 24g and minimum consumption observed on wooden blocks of M. azedarach Linn was 1g (Table I). From these results, it can be concluded that M. azedarach Linn was least preferred by M. obesi and therefore can be classified as highly resistant. On the other hand, P. alba was highly susceptible and palatable.

Choice under field conditions

In choice field trials two different wooden blocks were given to the termites (M. obesi). At 60oC, the maximum wood consumption was observed in following order P. alba vs A. indica > P. guajava vs A. scholars > F. benghalensis vs F. benjamina > M. azedarach Linn vs M. pinnata. At 100oC, the maximum consumption was observed on P. alba and minimum consumption was on M. azedarach Linn. (Table IV). At 100oC, the impact of temperature on wood consumption of P. alba was significantly maximum from all woods combinations. It means increase temperature had significantly decreased the resistance of wood to termite attack (Table IV).

DISCUSSION

For the life span of tree species feeding hindrance is a serious indicator. Main objectives of this study were to illuminate effect of drying temperatures on wood species and which species of wood shows natural hindrance and palatability against M. obesi. In our study, the results of wood consumption showed that M. azedarach Linn, A. indica and M. pinnata were natural resistant wood species against M. obesi’s attack. Physical and antifeedant bioactive chemical contents like hardness of bark, heartwood and sapwood may hinder the feeding activity of termite. The terpenoids, phenol and quinines like organic constituents causing vary in the degree of resistance of wood species against termites (Yohannes, 2006). In the current findings, choice feeding conditions were more successful than no-choice assays for determining wood resistance against termites because in no-choice sources termites were forced to feed whatever source was available for food. It is found that M. obesi in the laboratory choice bioassays could easily differentiate most palatable and resistant wood.

Getachew et al. (2003) suggesting some termites species showed a propensity for definite wood preferences, like fast growing tissues of wood, e.g. spring wood growth, that produce large cells with thin cell walls and fibers mostly preferred by dry wood termites. In this study, it was also concluded that natural preservatives and antifeedant properties of wood species may cause resistance against termite’s attack. M. azedarach Linn has high antifeedant property, which helped for its avoidance against M. obesi than P. alba; similarly, A. indica and M. pinnata may have natural preservatives that showed high resistance. It has been tested that various environmental factors such as moisture contents, lignifications attack by fungus may increase wood susceptibility and age of wood which determine its compactness (Pearce, 1997; Qureshi et al., 2012a). In this study, wood blocks of P. alba and F. benghalensis have high consumption rate against M. obesi compared to all other wood species. On other hand, M. azedarach Linn, A. indica and M. pinnata were antifeedant against termite workers.

Similarly, effect of drying temperature (40, 50, 60, 70 and 80°C) on feeding behavior of M. championi was studied by Aihetasham and Iqbal (2012). It was found that increase in drying temperature caused decrease in the resistance of eight different commercial wooden species. The most palatable wooden species for M. championi was A. arabica, whereas the less palatable wooden species was T. grandis. The feeding propensity of M. championi (Snyder) was in following order: Acacia arabica > Ficus religiosa > Azadirachta indica > Morus alba > Melia azederach > Mangifera indica > Cedrus deodara > Tectona grandis.

In ongoing investigation, a strong association between temperature, wood consumption (mg) and the percent survival of termite was found. The increase in drying temperatures was discovered to be directly correlated with M. obesi’s preferred feeding regime. Also, it was shown that M. azedarach Linn and A. indica were very resistant to M. obesi, which is consistent with findings from earlier studies (Manzoor et al., 2009; Shanbhag and Sunararaj, 2013).

In a laboratory experiment with no option, termite mass loss of wood at 100°C ranged from 200.35 mg to 22g (Table I). The physical and chemical characteristics of the timber may be the reason of the variance in the loss of mass. The percentage of workers of M. obesi that successfully survived on P. alba was 75.33%, whereas, the percentage of termites that successfully survived on M. azedarach Linn’s blocks was 7.33% dried at 100°C (Table II). According to Rasib et al. (2014) O. obesus workers were unable to endure after no-choice feeding in fourteen days laboratory tests. Yet, our results largely agree with those that have been published. Several experts have examined the termite’s feeding preferences and determined that some types of woods are highly resistant to termite assault and eating. Qureshi et al. (2012b) had investigated that due to presence of bioactive chemicals in wood species, may cause the resistance and repellent against certain wood feeding insects, termite attack and even termite death either entirely or partially upsetting the chemical makeup of mutually beneficial microorganisms like flagellates and bacteria.

It is intimated that if we can isolate resistance active ingredients from extractives of resistant wood species then be able to produce them economically on large scale. The findings of feeding assays both in field and laboratory conditions are also assuring to indicate a wide range of resistance of wood species against M. obesi, which might be a turning point for baiting technology and feeding behavior of termites. It is revealed from the findings of present study that wood resistance and susceptibility may prove important measures for wood prevention against termite attack. It is also intimated from the present investigations that resistance among wood species may be reduced due to effect of drying temperatures (60°C, 70°C, 80°C, 90°C and 100°C).

The present experiments revealed that among the 8 woods species experimented; the most attractive was P. alba that can be used as bait attractant to enhance baiting performance for the control of M. obesi in commercial stores and household furnishers. The present study also recommends that the natural durability is an important feature to identify and explore the wood species that can reduce the use of chemical termiticides which are expensive and harmful to environment. Furthermore, the findings of present study also revealed the impact of drying temperature (60°C, 70°C, 80°C, 90°C and 100°C) on wood species resistance.

CONCLUSION

This study concludes that M. azedarach Linn, A. indica and M. pinnata have efficient resistance against M. obesi. It recommends the durability that increases the use of these species as wooden structures and suppresses the exploitation of chemical pesticides against termites. The present study also revealed that the P. alba and F. benghalensis were most palatable woods to M. obesi which can be used in baiting technology to control termite infestation. Furthermore, the impact of drying temperature showed that the wood consumption generally increased with increasing drying temperature (60°C, 70°C, 80°C, 90°C and 100°C) indicating that heat contributed to the loss of natural resistant components of woods.

IRB approval

The experimental work was approved by Advanced Studies and Research Board (ASRB) of the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Funding

The study received no external funding.

Statement of conflict of interest

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

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