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 species from Pakistan (Dalbergia sissoo, Cedrus deodara, Morus alba and Pinus roxburghii) as well as Teak (Tectona grandis). Termites showed increasing levels of mortality with increasing concentration of heartwood extractive when exposed to extractive treated non-durable southern yellow pine (SYP) blocks in a force feeding test compared to SYP blocks treated with water or solvent (ethanol: toluene) only. Characterizations of heartwood extractives were performed using Gas Chromatography-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Chemical profiles were prepared for each wood species’ extractives and are discussed relevant to their termiticidal properties. Future work will focus on further isolation of bioactive compounds or synergistic groupages of bioactive compounds from these and other wood species for use as environmentally friendly insecticides/termiticides for wood and wood based materials.

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