Application of Termite Bait with Variation of Methyle Eugenol, Pineapple Peel Extract and Bintaro Liquid Smoke

Coptotermes curvignathus are the main termite types of pests in rubber and oil palm plantations because they can damage the roots and stems of plants and cause the plants to die[1]. Termites nest in moist soil and wood. West Kalimantan, which is a tropical area with 1.73 million hectares of peatlands and is the fourth largest peat area in Indonesia, has the potential for high intensity of termite attack on its crops[2]. This is because the soil conditions are wet / moist and contain high organic matter. Termite pest control has been carried out using termiticides by spraying. This technique is less effective in controlling termites, because the level of contact with termites is low and the active ingredients are mostly wasted to non-targets and carried by water / air. In addition, there are negative impacts of the use of synthetic pesticides on the environment and the survival of the ecosystem around the application area.

One of the alternative methods of termite control that can be done is the feeding method. This method is more specific to termites than the spray method and has a higher impact on the termite mortality rate[3]. The preferred feeding media for termites are materials with a high cellulose content[4]. Wood with high cellulose and containing methyl eugenol compounds has the highest level of termite palatability. Methyl eugenol is a compound that can attract termites (attractants). This material is mixed with active ingredients that are toxic to termites. This feeding method utilizes the tropalaxis (mutual feeding) properties of termites in one colony[5]. The worker caste termites whose job is to find food will like and eat the bait, then the toxic active ingredients that have been eaten are spread into the colony and kill the termites. Based on the nature of these termites, it is expected that the poison bait used has slow action or direct non-lethal toxicity. Termites that carry bait containing poison will carry it into the nest, and the mechanism of tropalaxis and cannibalism between termites can take place. Therefore, a slow action poison was chosen. One of the natural ingredients that has the potential to be used as a slow action poison is the liquid smoke of Bintaro fruit and pineapple peel extract. The liquid smoke of Bintaro fruit contains cerebral compounds which are known to have activities that interfere with termites' nerves or do not directly kill[6,7]. At its optimum concentration, 7.5% Bintaro liquid smoke can kill as much as 78.42% of termites[6]. It is also known that pineapple peel extract has antifeedant activity (reduces appetite) against pests that eat it with an optimum concentration of 10%[8]. In addition, the active ingredients contained in this extract have antimicrobial activity[9], so that they have the ability to damage the digestive mucosa of termites and kill the termite symbiont protozoa so that the ability of termites to digest can be decreased or lost. Termites that experience decreased feeding activity will experience hunger and die in their nests and become food for the colony.