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(Reticulitermes Flavipes)
Chapter 1: Introduction
Reticulitermes Flavipes, commonly known as termites are insects which are mostly
hated by people. Because of the desire to get rid of these insects, insecticides are being
designed. Insecticides are products to kill insects and to get rid of them. But there is a
possibility that the chemicals which compose that certain insecticide can harm other living
organisms such as human.And there is a said characteristic of Acacia, common name for
Acacia confuse that it has an insecticide material which can help people away from
termites.
designed to kill termites. This study will focus on the usage of its seed in making an
insecticide to prove that there is an effect on the termites. This effect may be positive or
negative. They came up with this study while looking for an investigatory project. An article
caught their attention and with this, the researchers decided to make up further
investigations
The researcher aims to answer the question “Is it possible to make an insecticide
with
the use of Acacia seed?” Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
This study is a big help for home owners who want to have houses which are free
from termites. The researchers admits that only few now a days have houses made of
wood because some people are now living in subdivisions where all the houses aren’t
made of wood and some are living in buildings. But still, there are ones who live in wooden
This study is just an experiment. The researchers does not promise to have a
successful project. They are not saying that their project will have a good result. They is
only limited to use acacia seed and need to refrain from using other parts of the plant.
seeds and bark against termites was conducted to find out if these could be used
against termites. The experiment was conducted at the laboratory of the Bureau
of Soils in Lipa City and in Lumbang National High School from September to
October 2005. The effort was initiated to enrich the laboratory activities in
Ethanolic extracts were prepared from the seeds and bark of Acacia collected
from areas surrounding Laurel farm in Lumbang, Lipa City. These extracts were
from Acacia seeds and bark revealed the presence of saponin, tannins, alkaloids,
termites. The one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used in comparing the
means of the effect of the ethanolic extracts against termites. Results were
www.investigatoryprojectexample.com
the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carolus
Linnaeus in 1773.
Acacia confusa is a perennial tree native to Asia. Some common names for it are
2.2. Termites
Termites
Order Isoptera
Termites are social insects that build large nests in soil or wood and can
'white ants', however they belong to a completely different insect group (Order
Identification
Termites have pale brown to white bodies with a darker head and have no waist
between the thorax and abdomen. The antennae have bead-like segments. The
non-reproductive forms never develop wings, are blind, and have thin skin that
makes them vulnerable to drying out. Reproductive forms have two pairs of
equal-sized wings, one pair of compound eyes and a thicker skin that protects
Castes
Termites have several castes that have definite tasks within the colony:
Queen/s: there is usually one main (first-form) queen who may have been
• the original founder of the colony. She may be larger than other colony
members and swollen with eggs. Queens can live and reproduce for a long
supplementary queens in a colony, which can take over egg production from
• King: the original king fertilises the queen and helps to tend the young
• Workers: with white-bodies and thin skin, these are the most numerous in
the colony and are involved in food gathering, feeding and tending the young
and the queen, and building or maintaining the nest. They rarely emerge from
the nest or associated tunnels, as they dry up easily outside the humid nest
environment.
• Soldiers: are the colony defenders. They are sometimes larger than
workers, but mostly the same size, with darker heads. Two body forms are
possible, with a particular species having one or the other: mandibulate (fully-
jawed) and nasute (long-nosed). Some species also have two size classes –
major and minor soldiers.
• Reproductives - both winged and wingless: these are the future kings and
through several stages until they are fully winged adults. With darker, more
durable bodies and compound eyes, they are able to survive for short periods
outside the colony. They are destined to either leave the nest on a colonizing
In some primitive termite species, there is no real worker caste, with the
developing young taking on different roles as they moult. They may remain as
Nests
Nests are formed either in trees, in soil mounds or underground. There are 5
main nest types and many species will build more than one type of nest:
• Ground mounds
•
• Tree nests (outside tree, connected to internal cavity)
•
• Pole nests (on human structures such as fence posts and telegraph poles)
• Subterranean nests (underground, in soil, stumps and tree bases)
•
• Tree wood (inside the tree)
Colonising flights
Termite colonies are formed when the winged reproductive forms leave their
original nest and take a colonising flight. These flights occur during warm humid
weather and usually take place during spring and autumn. The right combination
Starting a colony
Once a suitable site is found, the mating pair (the new king and queen) drop their
wings, hollow out a small mating chamber, and the queen begins to lay a small
number of eggs. Both the king and queen care for the young at this early stage.
As the colony grows, the different castes take on their roles of workers and
soldiers, leaving the queen to produce more and more eggs. She will produce
10-20 eggs in the early stages of a colony and may go on to lay over 1000 eggs
Life cycle
stages:
• Egg
• Nymph
• Adult
The eggs hatch into nymphs (the first instar) that are fed by the workers, and
these nymphs then moult several times, differentiating into worker, soldier or
depending on food, temperature and the size of the colony. Hormones are
Diet
Not all termites eat wood. Many species feed on grass and other matter, and are
not pests in buildings. Those species that do eat wood, get cellulose, sugars and
starches (all carbohydrates) from the sapwood (outer wood) of trees and can
also eat any wooden structures, including logs, stumps and human constructions.
They usually cannot eat the heartwood (innermost wood) as it tends to be much
harder and can have toxins that repel the termites. Protein is obtained by eating
fungi growing either in the humid nest - which also helps to keep the nest clean –
Many termite species have special gut organisms that help them to break down
the woody cellulose into sugars that can be digested. Some species have
while others have bacteria. These organisms are transferred from termite to
Grass and spinifex-eating species are very important in the savannah ecology of
Northern Australia. The large amount of biomass that they process makes them
the equivalent of large mammals that eat grasses in similar savannah or prairie
Termite colonies are maintained at a high humidity. This protects the thin-skinned
workers from drying out. Only when the external humidity is close to 100% can
workers leave the nest to forage. This is especially the case for subterranean
termite species, which gain most of their water from the soil. These species can
Indoor plants on pavers are a major cause, as are leaking pipes or roofs).
Termites that nest in dry wood don't have such strong water requirements and
may attack wooden structures that are not necessarily very damp.
Nests are usually maintained at a temperature between 25°C - 36°C. This varies,
depending on the species, the external temperature and the health of the colony.
Healthy colonies are able to maintain this range during very hot and very cold
external conditions.
its tall (3 m - 4 m) mound nests. These nests are thicker across their east-west
axis (about 3 m) than along the north-south axis (about 1 m). This alignment
means that the nest has the most protection from the hot summer sun as it
moves east to west directly above the nest, but can still be warmed in winter,
Links
References
They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects
behind the increase in agricultural productivity in the 20th century. Nearly all
insecticides have the potential to significantly alter ecosystems; many are toxic to
balance agricultural needs with environmental and health issues when using
insecticides.
nicotine have been used for many years. Various plants have been used as
Some insecticides kill or harm other creatures in addition to those they are
intended to kill. For example, birds may be poisoned when they eat food that was
Sprayed insecticides may drift from the area to which it is applied and into
wildlife DDT
Main article: DDT
One of the bigger drivers in the development of new insecticides has been the
desire to replace toxic and irksome insecticides. DDT was introduced as a safer
alternative to the lead and arsenic compounds. It is the case that when used
under the correct conditions that almost any chemical substance is 'safe', but
when used under the wrong conditions most insecticides can be a threat to
reduce the thickness of the egg shells on predatory birds. The shells
the body fat of animals farther up the food chain. The near-worldwide ban
uses worldwide and globally they are controlled via the Stockholm
Convention
Pollinator decline
Insecticides can kill bees and may be a cause of pollinator decline, the loss of
yields.[2]
Application methods for household insecticides
Integrated pest management or IPM in the home begins with restricting the
availability to insects of three vital commodities: shelter, water and food. If insects
become a problem despite such measures, IPM seeks to control them using the
can. Applied to clothing, arms, legs, and other extremities, the use of these
products will tend to ward off nearby insects. This is not an insecticide.
comes in an aerosol can, and is sprayed into the air or a nest as a means of
killing the animal. Fly sprays will kill house flies, blowflies, ants, cockroaches and
other insects and also spiders. Other preparations are granules or liquids that are
formulated with bait that is eaten by insects. For many household pests bait traps
are available that contain the pesticide and either pheromone or food baits.
Crack and crevice sprays are applied into and around openings in houses such
Bug sprays should be used in well ventilated areas only, as the chemicals
contained in the aerosol and most insecticides can be harmful or deadly to
humans and pets. All insecticide products including solids, baits and bait traps
should be applied such that they are out of reach of wildlife, pets and children.
www.wikipedia.com
Chapter 3: Methodology
decantation and she will be needing 15 acacia. Those seeds will be placed in a
two hundred and fifty milliliter beaker with one hundred milliliter water. The
beaker will then be paced above the tripod which is the testing of the insecticide,
she needs a container with at least ten termites that is covered with
screen. She first need to drain the seeds, get the extract with the use of funnel
First,. She will place the tripod above the Bunsen burner and there should
be wire gauze on top of the tripod. The researcher will then put two hundred
milliliter water into the two hundred fifty milliliter beaker and follow it with the
seeds. Heat will be added to the beaker by placing it on the tripod and light the
burner until the seed reaches its boiling point. She will let it cool for a while and
then pours the solution in a sprayer with the use of funnel that comes with a filter
paper. After that, the insecticide is now ready to be test and be sprayed on the