부산대학교 도서관

The termiticidal effects of an entomogenous fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae on the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus was investigated in a laboratory, using a commercial formulation, supplied by Eco Science Co., Ltd. in USA (Formulation name: Bio-BlastTM). It is the dust formulation, containing M. anisopliae as an active ingredient(>4×109 conidia/g), and is used as a termite control agent in USA. All the workers treated with 100-10,000 times dilutions of the formulation died within 14 days, and all the workers exposed to the sands treated with 10-0.003% dilutions died within 11 days. When the workers were exposed to the filter paper treated with 100 times dilution for 24 or 4 hrs., a hundred percent of them died within 3 weeks or 4 weeks, respectively. Then, contagious tests were conducted. When the workers treated with 100 times dilution were kept with the untreated workers and the soldiers in the same container for 2, 7 or 24 hrs. respectively, the untreated individuals died within 20 to 30 days. And, when above-mentioned workers were kept with ten times of the untreated workers in the same container continuously, all the individuals died within 15 days. Besides, when 100 times dilution was sprayed to the infested part where the workers swarmed using a larger container, all the individuals died within 12 days. Therefore, the contagious effect of M. anisopliae was shown clearly. But this effect declined when the workers exposed to the treated filter paper were used instead of the workers directly treated. It seems that the number of conidia attached to the termite body may affect the termiticidal activity.These results suggest that the practical use of Bio-BlastTM as a termite control agent is expected.