Kari Löyttyniemi

Preliminary testing of the resistance of Finnish softwood timbers to Macrotermitinae termites.

Löyttyniemi K. (1983). Preliminary testing of the resistance of Finnish softwood timbers to Macrotermitinae termites. Silva Fennica vol. 17 no. 1 article id 5177. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15092

Abstract

The resistance of Finnish softwood timbers to Macrotermitinae termites was tentatively tested under tropical conditions in Zambia using a field microtest method. Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. and Larix sibirica L. sapwood and heartwood, as well as Pinus sylvestris L. sapwood, and the sapwood of the locally grown Pinus kesiya, exhibited no natural termite resistance. On the other hand, Juniperus communis heartwood appeared to be virtually immune and the heartwood of P. Sylvestris had some resistance. There were also some differences in the resistance of the heartwood of the different P. Sylvestris individuals tested, which was correlated with the width of the annual rings in the wood samples. The termite species involved were Microtermes sp. and Odontotermes sp. The possibilities of using different types of Finnish softwood timber in the regions in the tropics where there is a risk of termite damage is discussed.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

Keywords
Pinus sylvestris; insect damages; insect resistance; Macrotermitinae termites; sofwood timber; Juniperus communis; Microtermes; Odontotermes; Zambia

Published in 1983

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Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15092 | Download PDF