Charles Douglas Howick

Timber Preservers Association of Australia · Publications

Colonies in Collision follows our battles with wood- eating termites since the human colonists brought their crates of stores as unintended offerings to the termite colonies of Sydney Cove in 1788. Doug Howick’s CSIRO experiences mesh with Ion Staunton’s commercial strand and the termite viewpoint is then woven through it to follow a 230- year hist...

Australia has a long history of largely ineffective termite risk management. We can forgive our pioneer builders whose wooden constructions were continually destroyed by termites in the 1780s and 90s. At that time, they knew nothing of termite biology, habits or potential risk, let alone how to manage that risk. However, we have since then, develop...

Zusammenfassung: Der europäische Hausbockkäfer Hylotrupus bajulus (L.) in Australien – ein Update nach 40 Jahren. Der Autor verschickte im Jahre 1965 einen Fragebogen des CSIRO Division of Forest Products an besonders spezialisierte Entomologen in Ländern, in denen sich der europäische Hausbockkäfer bereits etabliert hatte. In den 1960er Jahren war...

Because of the increasing significance of damage by Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt in Australia, a laboratory bio-assay technique with the species has become necessary. This paper gives details of all materials and methods associated with such a technique and supplies reasons for their selection. Details are also given of variations which may be...

In Australia, there is often a need for transportation over large distances and maintenance for long periods of laboratory stocks of Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt) before their use in laboratory bioassays. This study was made to obtain information on the feeding and survival of C. acinaciformis previously fed and maintained on different timbe...

Although the European House Borer Hylotrupes bajulus (L.) has not yet become established in Australia, the possibility of its doing so cannot be ignored, particularly in view of favourable climatic conditions.Local requirements for research with this insect are aimed at an improvement of Australian preparedness and include the assessment of the sus...

This video, presented to the 14th Conference of the International Research Group on Wood Preservation (now IRG - Wood Protection) at Surfers Paradise, Australia in 1983, includes research and techniques at the CSIRO field test sites, and also the development of the CSIRO AFS (Accelerated Field Simulator) which included a full-size termite mound. Be...

This paper describes a series of laboratory bioassays in which specimens of mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) heartwood, treated with solutions containing inoreasing amounts of the insecticides chlorpyrifos or dieldrin, were expcsed to attack by two species of Australian terFnites. The efficacy of the insecticides was compared on the basi...

Wood consumption and survival of laboratory groups of Coptotermes lacteus were measured after the termites had fed on blocks of Eucalyptus regnans or Pinus radiata. The timbers had been incubated following inoculation with Gloeophyllum trabeum or Poria placenta both of which are brown rot fungi, or the white rot fungus Fomes lividus for periods of...

Coptotermes acinaciformis (Frogg.) was collected from three different mound colonies and placed in holding jars in a matrix of mound material from an alien colony. After transportation and maintenance in a controlled insectary for 28 days, they were separated from the holding jars and pooled according to colony origin. They were then used in mixed...

Details of a technique used for culture and maintenance of the exotic wood borer Heterobostrychus aequalis are discussed. In view of a possible future need to determine the susceptibility of Australian timbers to this insect, cultures of H. aequalis were bred and maintained in the laboratory to assess whether adults could be produced in sufficient...

Altering the proportions by weight of first-stage workers in groups of large workers from 26 to 40%, or of fourth-and fifth-stage reproductive nymphs in groups of mixed workers from 0 to 15%, did not affect wood consumption by laboratory cultures of Nasutitermes exitiosus (Hill). However, increasing the proportion of soldiers in groups of mixed wor...

Mastotermes darwiniesis Froggatt can cause extensive damage to wood and wood products in service. With increasing development of tropical Australia, where M. darwiniensis is abundant, the necessity for field collection, trasnportation and maintenance of the species in laboratory conditions has become more evident. M. darwiniensis were collected fro...

The discovery of further series of the trichopseniine inquiline beetle Mastopsenius australis Seevers is reported, and the female is described and figured. M. australis occurs with the primitive termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The beetles congregate in the region of the nest the nursery.

The termiticidal effectiveness of fluorine from NaF, boron from B(OH)3 and F-B complex (with atomic ratio I.IF:IB) was determined in Eucalyptus regnans against Nasutitermes exitiosus, using a standard jar technique with specimens in contact with moist matrix material. There were indications that fluorine and boron elicit different responses from th...

The collection of sufficiently large numbers of Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt) for use in laboratory tests of wood preservatives is virtually impossible in the southern States of Australia where this termite does not build mound structures above ground. One method of solving the problem is to collect from above-ground mounds in the northern t...