Lower termites harbor in their guts populations of microorganisms known to be indispensable for their survival, being responsible, at least partially, for the digestion of cellulose, the main item of termites'diet. The Reticulitermes species in particular harbor in their hindguts some unique intestinal fauna, for instance protozoa belonging to the genera Pyrsonympha, Dinenympha and Trychonympha. The effect of boric acid on these organisms was evaluated by direct enumeration of the total number of protozoa and the number of most relevant protozoa genera. Although there is a clear effect of the boron on the protozoan populations, the actual decrease in total numbers is not very great, and only one group of the larger protozoa (Trychonympha) tended to disappear with the increasing concentrations of active ingredient.

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