Dissemination of Metarhiziumanisopliae infection among the population of Odontotermesobesus (Isoptera: Termitidae) by augmenting the fungal conidia with attractants.

Long-term biocontrol strategies for termite management have limited success as the behavioral responseexhibited by termites in the presence of entomopathogenic fungi was different. To minimize these responses,a study was conducted to attract the termites towards the treated area by augmenting fungal conidia with amixture of attractants such as sugarcane bagasse, sawdust and cardboard powder. In laboratory experiments,mortality due to the horizontal transmission ofMetarhizium anisopliaeinfection amongOdontotermes obesusworkers and soldiers was 50 to 98% and 16 to 78% for thefive isolates tested. The foraging activity of workersand soldiers increased from 23 to 58% for IWST-Ma13 when conidia were mixed with attractants. In afieldstudy, the weight loss of stakes treated with conidial attractant decreased to 10.9 g compared to dry conidialtreatments (19.3 g) for IWST-Ma13 afterfive months. Similarly, the width of mud galleries covering the treebark was reduced when treated with conidial baits and gunny bags containing conidial attractant. In treatedmounds, as the Acoustic emission signal voltage decreased from the threshold voltage level, the relative magnitude signal (RMS) remains low afterfive months of treatments with that of the control. From this study itwas observed that the mixing of conidia with attractants could augment the dissemination potential of fungalinfection among the termites. By adapting attractant basedMetarhiziumbaits and dusting of conidial attractant mixture inside mounds may augment the dissemination potential in epizootic transmission of fungalinfection.