Article: Termites Repelled By Catnip Oil

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Source: Southern Research Station - USDA Forest Service

2003-03-26

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030326073708.htm

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Termites Repelled By Catnip Oil

 

 

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Known for its intoxicating effects on felines, catnip

oil may also have a future in termite control. Recent experiments by

USDA Forest Service researcher Chris Peterson show that catnip oil

repels and even kills termites in a laboratory setting.

 

Peterson, a researcher with the Forest Service Southern Research Station

(SRS), and fellow researcher Janice Ems-Wilson, a chemist at Valencia

Community College in Orlando, FL, presented the results of their

research at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society held

March 23 - 27 in New Orleans.

 

An entomologist with the SRS Wood Products Insect Research unit in

Starkville, MS, Peterson has been testing essential catnip oil as a

possible replacement for the more toxic pesticides presently used to

control termites. Probably the most common termite control method is

treating the soil next to wood structures with chemical compounds: some

of the active ingredients of traditional termiticides, such as chlordane

and chlorpyrifos, have lost their registrations in the U.S. due to their

toxicity. New, more eco-friendly compounds are being sought to fill the

void.

 

The search for new termiticidal products is active. " The USDA Forest

Service routinely tests about three new termite formulations for

effectiveness every year, with a new active ingredient tested about once

in every two years, " said Peterson. " Natural compounds from plants,

bacteria, and fungi could provide new commercial products that are less

toxic to humans and the environment. "

 

For their termite study, Peterson and Ems-Wilson infused sand with

catnip essential oil--the kind routinely sold in pet stores--to test the

effectiveness of the oil as a barrier to termite tunneling. To test

vertical tunneling, the researchers placed yellow pine sapwood in the

bottom of a test tube filled with sand. A two-inch barrier of

catnip-treated sand separated the termites in the top layer of untreated

sand from the pine. To test horizontal tunneling, the researchers

constructed a barrier of treated sand across the middle of a transparent

box of sand, again with the tempting pine placed across the barrier from

the termites. In both tests, catnip oil reduced or eliminated termite

tunneling.

 

Peterson and Ems-Wilson also tested the catnip oil for its toxicity to

termites by treating them directly with a dilution of the oil,

fumigating them, and exposing them to catnip-infused soil. The

researchers carefully counted the termites in the multiple tests on

barriers to make sure the barrier-effect they found was not due to

termite mortality.

 

" At higher concentrations, the oil does kill termites, but not as

effectively as the commercial compounds currently used in soil

treatments, " said Peterson. " Our results show that catnip oil is a very

effective deterrent to termite tunneling, with the effective doses

tested much lower than those reported for similar natural products. "

 

Unfortunately, catnip oil breaks down quickly in the environment. The

chemicals now used to prevent termite infestation must remain effective

for more than five years in government testing. " There is the inevitable

tradeoff, " said Peterson. " Chemicals that last a long time also have

greater potential for environmental damage. We hope that the active

ingredients in catnip oil can eventually be modified to last longer. "

 

Peterson emphasizes that his experiments are preliminary: catnip oil has

not been officially tested for safety and effectiveness in the field.

" The other factor is cost, " said Peterson. " Catnip oil is much too

expensive to use at effective rates when compared to other compounds.

Until a way is found to produce the oil competitively and formulate it

for long-term use, its only practical use would be for controlling

isolated populations of termites. "

 

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The mission of the SRS Wood Products Insect Research unit is to improve

the protection of wood products from subterranean termite damage, define

the role of termites in forest ecosystems, and understand their impact

on forest health. For more information:

http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/termites/research.htm

 

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This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Southern

Research Station - USDA Forest Service.