Physical barriers are gaining in popularity world-wide as methods of preventing subterranean termite penetration and attack on structures. Sized particle barriers of crushed basalt or granite are approved for use in building construction in Hawaii and Australia. TERMI-MESH, a marine grade 316 steel mesh, was recently developed in Australia and is approved there, and now in Hawaii, for use as a termite barrier. We report results of a one-year field test in Hawaii to evaluate the ability of this steel mesh to prevent penetration by the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Nine test units, containing susceptible wood, were placed above-ground under conditions of high termite pressure at three field sites on the island of Oahu, and a tenth test unit was buried at one of these sites. Test units were removed after one year, and examined for termite penetration. Termites did not directly penetrate the steel mesh, nor areas where pipes had been inserted through the mesh, in any of the ten test units. In one of the above-ground units, however, a crack in the bonding cement securing a heavy fold of the mesh to the corner of a concrete block allowed termites into the test unit. In practice, the mesh would not normally be sealed to a corner in this fashion. Thus, a second field test has since been initiated to more accurately simulate use of the bonding cement to secure the mesh in construction situations, and determine whether improvements are warranted. Our results indicate that TERMI-MESH is effective in excluding C. formosanus; although, as with other physical barriers, care must be taken in installation to prevent termites from circumventing the barrier.

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