The major advantage of physically acting barriers against termites using sand or cinder is to be impenetrable for a number of termite species by showing environmental compatibility in a high degree. The major disadvantage of these barriers is the ability of termites to build galleries over them. Glass or glass-like materials are showing optimum material properties: crushed to a particle size from 0.5 to 1.5 mm very thin layers (10 to 20 mm thickness) reliably prevent termite penetration of Reticulitermes santonensis (de Feytaud) and Heterotermes indicola (Wasman) in laboratory studies as well as the penetration of Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki) in Japanese field tests. On the other hand, the extremely high affinity of pyrethroids to this type of material makes it highly suitable for a stationary pyrethroid-carrier. Gallery-building by termites is completly suppressed after superficial treatment of glass splinters with pyrethroids. The high affinity of pyrethroids to glass surfaces causes high contact insecticidal properties by minimizing leaching and biodegradation-effects at the same time.

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