Linx Project

Linx Project
27.042022
DateProject completed
Control of Xylophagous Insects causing damage to building materials in New Aquitaine. State of play and control strategies

Wood-boring insects, and termites in particular, can cause significant damage to buildings. These pests can cause significant damage to the structure of the building itself and affect its quality of use. The law n°99-471 of 8 June 1999 “tending to protect purchasers and owners of buildings against termites and other wood-eating insects” set out the methods of prevention and control of these insects. The second decree implementing the law, published in 2006, defined the preventive measures to be implemented in the context of new construction or development work: protection of structural wood (use of durable wood or wood treated with preservatives) and protection of the soil-building interface by installing anti-termite barriers (as of November 2007). Ten years later, it seems interesting to take stock of the situation in a region heavily affected by this problem: effects of the law on the level of infestation of buildings by woodborers, changes in construction systems, termite control techniques, measures to protect materials and constructions, etc.

Objectives

Evaluate

risk to optimise control strategies for wood-eating insects that degrade building materials

Optimise

the use of biocides for wood protection (link between natural durability of wood/expected life span of different wood elements/type of treatment and product used)

Anticipation

and identification of insect resistance to insecticides in wood construction

Develop

and identification of insect resistance to insecticides in wood construction

  1. The effects of the second decree of the termite law – state of play in the New Aquitaine region
  2. Inventory, mapping and development of DNA identification tools for harmful wood-eating insect species in New Aquitaine
  3. Monitoring the use of biocidal products: evolution of the biocidal products market – anticipation of insect resistance to insecticides.
  4. Efficiency of preventive wood treatments
  5. Laboratory evaluation of innovative non-biocidal systems/products for wood protection and termite population control.

Key highlights and results

  • Phase 1: Measuring the effects of the second decree of the termite law

Google form questionnaire carried out to survey knowledge of the “termite” risk

Inventory of termite barriers and their use and a market study on curative measures in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region – Data collected from CTB A+ certified companies for curative treatment

  • Phase 2: Evaluate the effectiveness of preventive wood treatments on wood samples taken in situ (“aged” in real conditions of use: e.g. frame elements)

On a sample of buildings of different ages (>10 years): solicitation of the certification (A+ auditors) and the Hygiene Department of the City of Bordeaux to obtain samples at failure ….

On samples kept in the biology lab, processed 2 – 3 years ago: tests carried out in 2019 on termites and house beetles

  • Phase 3: Literature review on the possible appearance of resistance phenomena in the targeted biological agents and the factors that may promote them 

The result of the literature search suggests that these phenomena have not been identified to date and that their probability of occurrence is low due to the complexity of the life history and life cycle

  • Phase 4: Inventory of harmful insect species and development of the DNA tool for insect identification within the FCBA

Link to Click Design project (mapping / species distribution)

  • Phase 5: Development of laboratory/field evaluation protocols for the effectiveness of innovative non-biocidal systems/products to control termite populations and testing of proposed solutions 

Tests were carried out on different technical solutions: cassia extract, application of ceramic components

“Bridge with IRBI’s BioControlTermites study: attractiveness tests conducted on termites, not very conclusive