The Potential of Using Acoustical Emission to Detect Termites Within Wood

Abstract

Acoustical emission (AE) equipment was used to detect drywood termites Incisitermes minor in ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa blocks under laboratory conditions. Using a 60 kHz transducer, AE levels were recorded for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 termites per block. The association of AE and varying numbers of drywood termites best fit an exponential curve. These data suggest that the detection capabilities of AE increase with increasing numbers of termites. The implications of this finding to the potential use of AE in detecting termites under field conditions are discussed.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the symposium on current research on wood-destroying organisms and future prospects for protecting wood in use; September 13, 1989; Bend, OR.

Citation

Lewis, Vernard R.; Lemaster, Richard L. 1991. The Potential of Using Acoustical Emission to Detect Termites Within Wood. In: Haverty, Michael I.; Wilcox, W. Wayne, technical coordinators. 1991. Proceedings of the symposium on current research on wood-destroying organisms and future prospects for protecting wood in use; September 13, 1989; Bend, OR. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-128. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 34-37