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Response of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Coptotermes formosanus) to Cellulose Insulation Treated with Boric Acid in Choice and No-Choice Tests.
2004 - IRG/WP 04-10532
The tunneling ability of the Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki through a cellulose insulation material containing11.1% boric acid was tested in choice and no-choice bioassays. We examined tunneling behavior and mortality of termites exposed to treated and untreated insulation material in miniature simulated wall voids. In a choice test termites tunneled through untreat...
M E Mankowski, J K Grace


Yeasts associated with the infrabuccal pocket and colonies of the carpenter ant Camponotus vicinus
2000 - IRG/WP 00-10335
Yeast associations in three colonies of Camponotus vicinus were examined in two different areas of western Oregon. We sampled the exo-cuticle, infrabuccal pocket contents of worker ants, interior galleries of each colony and detritus and soil in the area adjacent to the nest. Samples were plated on yeast-extract-malt-extract agar augmented with 1M hydrochloric acid and incubated at 25°C. Yeasts w...
M E Mankowski, J J Morrell


Durability of Wood Plastic Composites Relative to Natural Weathering and Preservative Treatment With Zinc Borate
2005 - IRG/WP 05-40316
Wood-Plastic Composites (WPCs) used for decking have experienced dramatic increases in North America, averaging 25% growth per annum since 1998. A key factor contributing to this growth has been the successfully communicated message that they are "virtually maintenance free". The common perception being that the wood fiber is completely encapsulated by the thermoplastic resin, minimizing the pot...
M E Mankowski, F M Ascherl, M J Manning


Integrated protection of freshly sawn lumber using Bacillus subtilis and selected fungicide
1997 - IRG/WP 97-10235
Bioprotection against stain fungi has tremendous potential for reducing discoloration of freshly sawn wood while decreasing chemical consumption. Unfortunately, most bioprotectants appear to be unable to consistently perform under the array of conditions to which freshly sawn wood is exposed. While research is underway to understand the nature of the inconsistent performance, a more pragmatic appr...
M E Mankowski, M Anderson, J J Morrell


Effect of substrate type and moisture requirements in relation to colony initiation in two carpenter ant species
1999 - IRG/WP 99-10320
Conditions necessary for optimal colony initiation or the rate of initial colony expansion by early brood in the carpenter ant species Camponotus modoc and C. vicinus on various substrates conditioned to different moisture contents were studied. Camponotus modoc and Camponotus vicinus queens were placed in Douglas-fir, western red cedar and Styrofoam® blocks conditioned in sealed chambers at 70% ...
M E Mankowski, J J Morrell


Wood-Plastic Composites and the Durability Dilemma: Observations from the Field
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40351
Wood-Plastic Composites (WPCs) used for decking, window & door moldings have experienced dramatic growth in North America over the last several years, with annual production increasing at rates greater than 20% per annum since 1998. A key factor contributing to this growth has been the successfully communicated message that they are "virtually maintenance free". The common perception being t...
M J Manning, F M Ascherl, M E Mankowski


Potential for controlling carpenter ants in utility poles with borates
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10623
Carpenter ants (genus Camponotus) are important scavengers and predators in the ecosystems in which they occur. Because they excavate and tunnel into wood, carpenter ants are considered structural pests in many parts of North America where they overlap with human activity. The excavation of extensive galleries in wood by carpenter ants can seriously compromise the physical properties of wood in ...
M Mankowski


Depletion and Redistribution of Boron in Bundles of Commercially Treated Lumber Exposed to Artificial and Natural Rainfall
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30474
The depletion and redistribution of boron from stacks of Southern Yellow Pine lumber pressure treated with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) and exposed to artificial and natural rainfall was examined. When the lumber was exposed to periodic simulated rainfall, 5.7-8.1% of the measured boron present leached from the lumber after exposure to over 300 mm of rainfall. In tests which exposed bo...
M E Mankowski, M J Manning


Antitermitic activities of Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.) heartwood extractives against two termite species
2016 - IRG/WP 16-10856
Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) heartwood extractives were investigated for antitermitic activities against Heterotermes indicola and Reticulitermes flavipes. Heartwood extractives were removed from wood shavings by soxhlet extraction using (2:1) ethanol: toluene as the solvent system. Filter paper bioassays were conducted against both species to observe concentration dependent feeding response and mor...
B Hassan, M Mankowski, G Kirker, S Ahmed, M Misbah ul Haq


GC-MS Characterizations of Termiticidal Heartwood Extractives from Wood Species Utilized in Pakistan
2016 - IRG/WP 16-10857
Wood species that exhibit innate tolerance to wood destroying organisms such as termites are considered to be naturally durable. This durability can, in part, be due to the complex chemical compounds in the heartwood of naturally durable wood species. We examined the effects of varying concentrations of heartwood extractives on the subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes from four wood spec...
M E Mankowski, B Boyd, B Hassan, G T Kirker


Laboratory evaluations of woods from Pakistan and their extractives against Postia placenta and Trametes versicolor
2016 - M Mankowski, B Hassan, A Bishell, G Kirker
Natural durable wood species are those which exhibit innate tolerance to wood decay organisms such as fungi and termites. The goal of this study was to evaluate 4 wood species (Dalbergia sissoo, Cedrus deodara, Morus alba and Pinus roxburghii) from Pakistan in order to determine their resistance to both a model brown (Postia placenta) and white (Trametes versicolor) rot fungus compared to a durabl...
M Mankowski, B Hassan, A Bishell, G Kirker


Effects of teak, Tectona grandis Linn, heartwood extractives against Heterotermes indicola (Isoptera; Rhinotermitidae)
2018 - IRG/WP 18-10910
Heartwood extractives from Tectona grandis were investigated for antitermitic activities against Heterotermes indicola in laboratory experiments. Extractives were removed from wood shavings by soxhlet extraction using an ethanol: toluene (2:1) solvent system. Termite feeding and mortality followed a concentration dependent response. The highest termite mortality occurred at an extractive concentra...
B Hassan, S Ahmed, M Mankowski, G Kirker, R E Ibach, M Misbah ul Haq


Post-layup protection of mass timber elements in above ground protected exposures: 2-year results
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30766
Mass timber has seen increased use as a building material for low and mid-rise construction in recent decades. The durability of mass timber elements has not been fully examined and the effects of wood destroying organisms on this these materials merits attention. The effectiveness of currently labeled soil termiticides and passively applied biocides at post-construction or as remedial agents need...
M E Mankowski, T G Shelton, G T Kirker, J J Morrell


Above-Ground Termite Resistance of Naturally Durable Species in Ontario and Mississippi
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30767
A collaborative above-ground protected termite field test was initiated by FPInnovations and the USDA Forest Service at sites in Ontario and Mississippi. The aims of the experiment were to compare the rate of attack in protected, above-ground exposures by the subterranean termite species, Reticulitermes flavipes, between northern (Ontario) and southern (Mississippi) test sites and to generate perf...
R Stirling, M Mankowski


Towards a microactuator-sensing network for the structural health monitoring of wood
2023 - IRG/WP 23-50380
Timber structures decay over time with degradation in their structural integrity. Changing environmental conditions, varying loads, exposure to moisture or insect attacks lead to changes in their vibrational response behaviour. Here we present a low-cost device used as a triggered exciter to enable the monitoring of the structural integrity of timber bearers or even power poles in electricity netw...
S Oberst, S Sepehrirahnama, C Nerse, Z Brodzeli, J C S Lai, M Mankowski, T Atkinson, R Arango, G Kirker, T Evans