It was agreed by members at the termite workshop at the 24th annual meeting of IRG in Orlando, USA, in May 1993 to initiate an international subterranean termite laboratory bioassay to compare the various preferred termite protocols used by IRG termitologists. The author was nominated to co-ordinate this comparative laboratory evaluation of two wood preservatives (CCA and Cu-naphthenate) against the subterranean termites used as test termites in the various countries. Solutions of these two wood preservatives will be prepared and impregnated into Pinus radiata wood blocks to obtain loadings of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 kg/m³ respectively. All preservative treatments will be carried out at the Division of Forest Products in Melbourne. After treatment, blocks will be dispatched to the participating researchers who will subject these specimens to attack by their test termite species. The method of comparative evaluation will be expressed using a standardised unit, namely, the amount of wood consumed (mg) per gram of termite per day per loading of wood preservative. Any termite mortality will be recorded over the test period. Apart from the intrinsic value of comparing protocols used by the various termite researchers, it is hoped that the results will assist the wood preservation industry in evaluating an economic lethal threshold level for potential wood preservatives in preventing attack and damage by major subterraneaan termite species found in the different countries. This paper reports the organisation of this collaborative study to date, lists the collaborators, and the preparation of the treated wood specimens. Delay in treatments have been experienced due to technical delays in the treatment plant. The results of the entire study will be presented to all IRG members when completed.

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