New Chemical Kills Termites Without Hurting Humans

Topic: Biology

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside found a new chemical that kills termites without harming humans. The chemical, called bistrifluron, works by stopping termites from making their protective outer covering. It's been tested in lab experiments and shown to be very effective.

Drywood termites are hard to find and get rid of because they live inside wood for most of their lives. But researchers at the University of California, Riverside found a way to kill them without harming humans. They discovered that termites have to molt, or shed their old outer covering, several times during their lives. This is a weakness that bistrifluron can exploit.

Bistrifluron is an insect growth regulator that stops termites from making new chitin, the material that makes up their protective outer covering. Without this covering, termites die. In lab experiments, bistrifluron was shown to be very effective at killing western drywood termites. It produced 95.7% mortality when termites had a choice between treated and untreated wood, and about 99% mortality when they were continuously exposed to treated wood.

The researchers also found that even if only part of a group of termites encounters bistrifluron, it can still kill the rest of the group. This is because termites share food and other materials with each other, so the chemical can spread quickly through the colony.

Why It Matters

This discovery could help people in India who live in areas where drywood termites are a problem. It's especially important for people who live in wood-framed houses or buildings that are prone to termite infestations.

Key Facts

• Researchers at the University of California, Riverside found a new chemical called bistrifluron that kills termites without harming humans.
• Bistrifluron works by stopping termites from making their protective outer covering, which is made of chitin.
• In lab experiments, bistrifluron produced 95.7% mortality when termites had a choice between treated and untreated wood, and about 99% mortality when they were continuously exposed to treated wood.
• Even if only part of a group of termites encounters bistrifluron, it can still kill the rest of the group because termites share food and other materials with each other.
• The researchers who discovered bistrifluron are from the University of California, Riverside, and their study was published in 2025.

Key Terms

Chitin

A durable natural material that provides structure and strength to insect exoskeletons, as well as fungal cell walls and other structures.

Implications

This discovery could help people in India who live in areas where drywood termites are a problem. It's especially important for people who live in wood-framed houses or buildings that are prone to termite infestations.