A brief history of chlorfluazuron in termite bait in the Asia-Pacific

Chlorfluazuron was discovered and developed in the Asia-Pacific region by Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha (ISK) Japan and launched in the 1980s. The compound is a benzoylphenyl urea and acts as an insect growth regulator by inhibiting chitin synthesis in insects. Subsequently, Ensystex developed chlorfluazuron for termite baits, with test results demonstrating that it met key criteria for good termite baits. The first commercial introduction of a chlorfluazuron-based bait in the Asia-Pacific region occurred in Australia in 2002. Since then, the bait has been registered in most major countries across the region. Several studies have been published on the efficacy of the bait against termite species, including those from both the Heterotermitidae and Termitidae families. Tested species include Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, C. acinaciformis (Froggatt); C. gestroi, Wasmann; C curvignathus Holmgren; Heterotermes indicola (Wasmann), Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen), Microcerotermes losbanosensis (Oshima), Globitermes sulphureus (Haviland), and Odontotermes obesus (Rambur). This article presents a brief history and use of chlorfluazuron baits, considering its importance in the fast-growing urban environment of the Asia-Pacific region.