Temperature Effect on Kinetics of Uptake, Transfer, and Clearance of [14C]Noviflumuron in Eastern Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

[14C]Noviflumuron uptake, clearance, rate of excretion, and transfer from treated to untreated termite workers were evaluated at 15, 19, 23, and 27°C. Feeding units were constructed from plastic containers provisioned with washed sand, distilled water, [14C]noviflumuron-treated feeding discs (0.05 or 0.5% [AI]), and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) workers. Feeding units were held in environmental growth chambers preset at 15, 19, 23, and 27°C. The amount of [14C]noviflumuron present within R. flavipes was measured by scintillation counting and subsequently quantified. Uptake of noviflumuron by R. flavipes workers at 15°C was ≈2.8 times less than at 19 or 23°C and ≈4.4 times less than at 27°C. The highest uptake of [14C]noviflumuron occurred at 27°C and 144 h. Most transfer of [14C]noviflumuron from treated to untreated termite workers occurred between 19 and 27°C. [14C]Noviflumuron had a half-life in R. flavipes workers of ≈31–45 d, dependent on temperature. A higher amount of [14C]noviflumuron was lost through excretion at ≥19°C (≈15–22%) compared with 15°C (0.27%). Results indicated that increased uptake, transfer, and clearance of noviflumuron by R. flavipes occurred at warmer temperatures (19–27°C), and all of these processes were significantly lower at 15°C.