The subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes Kollar (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), is part of one the major biotic agents which damage wood and it is a pest in several countries, where the economic losses are huge. In Chile there have been foci of infestation in the Metropolitan Region and in the Region of Valparaíso with a big expansion in the last years. This study evaluated in laboratory the direct toxic effect of extracts from Melia azedarach L. (Meliaceae) unripe fruits onto R. flavipes workers. The extracts were elaborated from two solvents, distilled water and ethanol. The toxic effect was determined with direct exposure tests to the extracts. The mortality caused by several concentrations of aqueous and ethanol extracts. The extracts from the unripe fruits of M. azedarach were effective as an insecticide agent against R. flavipes workers, with the greatest mortality at the highest concentrations, and better effects of the ethanol extract than the water one. The results obtained verify toxic effect of extracts from the unripe fruits of M. azedarach as a bioinsecticide for R. flavipes, thus, this tree could become a promising alternative source of a bioinsecticide for use in a management program for this pest.

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