Abstract Termites are eusocial arthropod decomposers that increase crop productivity and soil fertility. Because of the various benefits they possess, they are being exploited by humans. Termite infestations cause significant damage to structures and ecosystems. There are various physical and chemical methods for termite removal and control, but the use of chemical insecticides has a detrimental effect on human health and the environment, so efforts are directed towards the development of biological approaches to reduce their presence. Various effective and dependable biological approaches focused on using bacteria, fungi, and viruses have been explored, but termites continue to pose a major global threat. Recent advancements in molecular biology may provide a better solution for termites control. This review summarizes various biological methods to reduce the presence of termites in a sustainable manner.

From October 28 to November 05, 2013, we conducted a termite sampling in 3 protected sites in The Gambia (West Africa). Termites sampling is carried out in 100 m x 2 m transects repeated 3 times in each site. A total of 33 species of termites have been recorded. Of the 33 species, 22 are new to The Gambia. Additionnal measurements are given for several collected termite species. Euchilotermes arcuata Silvestri is elevated to the rank of species.

The research is based on the inspection performed in June 2002 for carrying out a research program for the eradication of a termite infestation due a desertic species in the area of the Saint Catherine Holy Monastery at Mount Sinai - Egypt. The paper describes the application of the registered European bait system SentritechTM and the trend of eradication during the first year. The application of bait system blocked the termite infestation inside the Katholikon (Main church) and in the surrounding after 6 months. Nevertheless, the infestation restarted and even increased again in the surrounding of the main church. An explanation of this surprising event is attempted in this paper.

With heat treatments to control drywood termites (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae), the presence of heat sinks causes heat to be distributed unevenly throughout the treatment areas. Drywood termites may move to galleries in heat sink areas to avoid exposure to lethal temperatures. Our studies were conducted in Crytotermes brevis-infested condominiums in Honolulu, Hawaii to reflect real-world condominium scenarios; either a standard heat treatment performed by a heat remediation company or an improved heat treatment was used. For improved treatments, heated air was directed into the toe-kick voids of C. brevis infested cabinets to reduce heat sink effects and increase the heat penetration into these difficult-to-heat areas. Eight thermistor sensors placed inside toe-kick voids, treatment zone, embedded inside cabinets’ sidewalls, and in a wooden cube recorded target temperatures of above 46 °C or 50 °C for 120 minutes. A pretreatment and follow-up inspections were performed at 6 months posttreatment to monitor termite inactivity using visual observations and by recording the numbers of spiked peaks on a microwave technology termite detection device (Termatrac). In improved treatment condominiums, significantly higher numbers of spiked peaks were recorded at pretreatment as compared to 6 months posttreatment. Efficacious heat treatment protocols using the improved methods are proposed.