Investigation of heat transfer in timber boards and a simulated wall section to eliminate colonies of the west Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae)

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Main Authors: Chandan Kumar, Babar Hassan, Chris Fitzgerald
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2024
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author Chandan Kumar
Babar Hassan
Chris Fitzgerald
author_facet Chandan Kumar
Babar Hassan
Chris Fitzgerald
Chandan Kumar
Babar Hassan
Chris Fitzgerald
collection Wiley Open Access
contents Investigation of heat transfer in timber boards and a simulated wall section to eliminate colonies of the west Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) Chandan Kumar Babar Hassan Chris Fitzgerald Austral Entomology AbstractCryptotermes brevis (Walker) (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) is one of the most destructive drywood termites that attack moisture‐protected timber in service. Heat treatment has been studied to control these termites, but the low thermal conductivity of wood can result in prolonged treatment times and the need for high temperatures to eliminate termite colonies. The current study investigated heat transfer through a heat transfer model and experiments within solid timber boards and a representative wall section. The aim was to optimise targeted spot heat treatment as a cost‐effective method for eradicating this pest within structural elements. Through experimental work and the development of a deterministic heat transfer model, valuable insights were gained into temperature distribution within wooden structural elements. The findings revealed that proximity to the heated surface played a crucial role, with closer distances reaching equilibrium temperatures faster. The heat transfer model, validated against experimental data, accurately predicted temperature distributions within the timber. Termite survival was significantly influenced by heating time and distance from the heated surface when a wall section was heated at 60°C. The mean survival of C. brevis pseudergates kept inside wall studs varied from 30% to 96.7% depending on the distance from the heated surface after 1.5 h of heating, where the temperature ranged from 43°C to 45°C. However, after extending the heating duration to 3 h, the temperature in wall studs was elevated to 51°C, 49°C and 47°C at 22, 40 and 60 mm from the heated stud face, respectively. All C. brevis pseudergates across all distances were killed at a 3‐h duration. This research underscores the importance of understanding temperature distribution in structural wood elements and exposure times when employing heat as a spot treatment for drywood termite control. 10.1111/aen.12708 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
doi_str_mv 10.1111/aen.12708
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license_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
publishDate 2024
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spellingShingle Investigation of heat transfer in timber boards and a simulated wall section to eliminate colonies of the west Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae)
Chandan Kumar
Babar Hassan
Chris Fitzgerald
Austral Entomology
Investigation of heat transfer in timber boards and a simulated wall section to eliminate colonies of the west Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) Chandan Kumar Babar Hassan Chris Fitzgerald Austral Entomology AbstractCryptotermes brevis (Walker) (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae) is one of the most destructive drywood termites that attack moisture‐protected timber in service. Heat treatment has been studied to control these termites, but the low thermal conductivity of wood can result in prolonged treatment times and the need for high temperatures to eliminate termite colonies. The current study investigated heat transfer through a heat transfer model and experiments within solid timber boards and a representative wall section. The aim was to optimise targeted spot heat treatment as a cost‐effective method for eradicating this pest within structural elements. Through experimental work and the development of a deterministic heat transfer model, valuable insights were gained into temperature distribution within wooden structural elements. The findings revealed that proximity to the heated surface played a crucial role, with closer distances reaching equilibrium temperatures faster. The heat transfer model, validated against experimental data, accurately predicted temperature distributions within the timber. Termite survival was significantly influenced by heating time and distance from the heated surface when a wall section was heated at 60°C. The mean survival of C. brevis pseudergates kept inside wall studs varied from 30% to 96.7% depending on the distance from the heated surface after 1.5 h of heating, where the temperature ranged from 43°C to 45°C. However, after extending the heating duration to 3 h, the temperature in wall studs was elevated to 51°C, 49°C and 47°C at 22, 40 and 60 mm from the heated stud face, respectively. All C. brevis pseudergates across all distances were killed at a 3‐h duration. This research underscores the importance of understanding temperature distribution in structural wood elements and exposure times when employing heat as a spot treatment for drywood termite control. 10.1111/aen.12708 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
title Investigation of heat transfer in timber boards and a simulated wall section to eliminate colonies of the west Indian drywood termite, Cryptotermes brevis (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae)
topic Austral Entomology
url https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aen.12708