Smoked Wood as an Alternative for Wood Protection against Termites

Mindi wood (Melia azedarach) and sugi wood (Cryptomeria japonica) were smoked for 15 days using mangium wood (Acacia mangium), and for comparison purposes, wood preserved with 5 percent borax, polystyrened wood, and untreated control wood were prepared. All of the wood specimens were tested for resistance to (1) subterranean termites (Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren) in the laboratory, (2) dry wood termites (Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light) in the laboratory, and (3) subterranean termites in the field or via in-ground tests. The results showed that (1) mindi wood was more resistant than sugi wood to subterranean termite and dry wood termite attacks; (2) with regard to the Indonesian termite test standard, smoke treatment increased wood resistance to termite attacks, matching the highest resistance class of subterranean termites and dry wood termites; and (3) mindi wood offered equal resistance compared with polystyrened wood and wood preserved with borax, but in terms of the in-ground test, the smoke treatment did not affect wood resistance to termite attack, presumably because of leaching that occurred during the exposure test.