termites can be controlled by the termite baits disclosed herein , especially such termites as reticulitermes spp ., heterotermes spp ., and coptotermes spp . suitable examples of termites that can be controlled are : reticulitermes flavipes ; reticulitermes virginicus ; reticulitermes hesperus ; heterotermes aureus ; coptotermes formosanus ; reticulitermes speratus ; reticulitermes grassei ; reticulitermes santonensis ; macrotermes gilvus ; and reticulitermes hageni . cellulose is a long - chain polymeric polysaccharide carbohydrate of glucose . it forms the primary structural component of wood . wood contains about fifty weight percent cellulose and cotton contains about ninety weight percent cellulose . cellulose is also sometimes used as a generic term for a composition that contains alpha cellulose , beta cellulose , and gamma cellulose . alpha cellulose has a much higher degree of polymerization (“ dp ”) than beta or gamma cellulose . alpha cellulose has a dp in the thousands depending on the source of the alpha cellulose . alpha cellulose is readily available and can be purchased from a variety of sources . alpha cellulose can be made into microcrystalline cellulose . microcrystalline cellulose has a dp of less than about 400 . sugars include monosaccharides , disaccharides , trisaccharides , and oligosaccharides ( which contain four or more monosaccharides linked together , but generally less than about fifty monosaccharides ). sugars include , but are not limited to , fructose , galactose , glucose , lactose , maltose , mannose , and sucrose . acids are generally considered any compound that when dissolved in water , gives a solution with a ph of less than 7 . two general categories of acids are inorganic acids and organic acids . common examples include , but are not limited to , acetic acid , adipic acid , alginic acid , ascorbic acid , benzoic acid , boric acid , butyric acid , carbonic acid , carminic acid , chloric acid , citric acid , cyclamic acid , erythorbic acid , erythorbin acid , formic acid , fumaric acid , gluconic acid , glutamic acid , glutaric acid , guanylic acid , hydrobromic acid , hydrochloric acid , hydrofluoric acid , hydroiodic acid , inosinic acid , lactic acid , malic acid , malonic acid , mandelic acid , metatartaric acid , methanethiol , nicotinic acid , nitric acid , oxalic acid , pectic acid , perchloric acid , phosphoric acid , propionic acid , pyrophosphoric acid , pyruvic acid , sorbic acid , stearic acid , succinic acid , sulfuric acid , tannic acid , tartaric acid , and valeric acid . pyrethroids , such as permethrin , cypemethrin , fenvalerate , esfenvalerate , deltamethrin , cyhalothrin , lambda - cyhalothrin , gamma - cyhalothrin , bifenthrin , fenpropathrin , cyfluthrin , tefluthrin , fish safe pyrethroids ( for example ethofenprox ), natural pyrethrin , tetramethrin , s - bioallethrin , fenfluthrin , prallethrin , 5 - benzyl - 3 - furylmethyl -( e )-( 1r , 3s )- 2 , 2 - dimethyl - 3 -( 2 - oxothiolan - 3 - ylidenemethyl ) cyclopropane carboxylate , or any of their insecticidally active isomers ; organophosphates , such as , methidathion , chlorpyrifos - methyl , profenofos , sulprofos , acephate , methyl parathion , azinphos - methyl , demeton - s - methyl , heptenophos , thiometon , fenamiphos , monocrotophos , profenofos , triazophos , methamidophos , dimethoate , phosphamidon , malathion , chlorpyrifos , chlorpyrifos - methyl , phosalone , terbufos , fensulfothion , fonofos , phorate , phoxim , pirimiphos - methyl , pirimiphos - ethyl , fenitrothion , fosthiazate or diazinon ; carbamates ( including aryl carbamates ), such as fenoxycarb , alanycarb , pirimicarb , triazamate , cloethocarb , carbofuran , furathiocarb , ethiofencarb , aldicarb , thiofurox , carbosulfan , bendiocarb , fenobucarb , propoxur , methomyl or oxamyl ; benzoyl ureas , such as lufenuron , novaluron , noviflumuron , teflubenzuron , diflubenzuron , triflumuron , hexaflumuron , flufenoxuron , bistrifluron , or chlorfluazuron ; macrolides , such as avermectins or milbemycins , for example abamectin , emamectin benzoate , ivermectin , milbemycin , spinosad or azadirachtin ; organochlorine compounds such as endosulfan , benzene hexachloride , ddt , chlordane or dieldrin ; chloronicotinyl compounds such as diofenolan , clothianidin , thiacloprid , imidacloprid , thiacloprid , acetamiprid , nitenpyram or thiamethoxam ; toxins of microbial origin such as bacillus thuringiensis endo - or exotoxins ; specific examples of preferred insecticides are thiamethoxam , abamectin , emamectin benzoate , spinosad , chlorpyrifos , chlorpyrifos - methyl , profenofos , lufenuron , indoxacarb , gamma - cyhalothrin , pymetrozine , pirimicarb , methidathion , imidacloprid , acetamiprid , thiacloprid , fipronil , methoxyfenozide , chlorfenapyr , pyridaben , novaluron , noviflumuron , hexaflumuron , pyridalyl , propargite , and piperonyl butoxide . mixtures of pesticides are also useful and many of the above can be synergistically used together . however , it is most preferred to use a slow acting insecticide , so that the termites can take the insecticide , or insecticides , back to their colony and poison other colony members . the components of the termite bait can be mixed together in any manner known in the art . in general the amount of components to use is not critical and can vary by a wide amount depending on the other factors ( such as insecticide ( s ), binder ( s ), attractant ( s ), etc .) added to mixture to form into the termite bait . suitable ranges for the main components are given in table 1 . in general the amount of insecticide to use is also not critical . amounts from 0 . 0001 to 20 weight percent based on the weight of the termite bait can be used . after mixing , the termite bait can be compacted . this compacted termite bait can take any useful form , such as , tablets , briquettes , pellets , granules , etc . these types of forms can be made by any process known in the art . in another embodiment the compacted termite bait has a density greater than 1 gram per cubic centimeter . densities less than 1 gram per cubic centimeter can be used but are not preferable in most cases . once the compacted termite bait has been made , it can be dried . this drying can occur in any manner known in the art that will remove a portion of the water used in making the compacted composition . the dried compacted termite bait should be substantially - free of water so as to inhibit microbial growth when compared to the surrounding environment . in another embodiment of the invention the dried compacted termite bait should have less than about twenty weight percent water based on the total weight of the dried compacted termite bait . in another embodiment of the invention the dried compacted termite bait should have less than about fifteen weight percent water based on the total weight of the dried compacted termite bait . in another embodiment of the invention the dried compacted termite bait should have less than about ten weight percent water based on the total weight of the dried compacted termite bait . the compacted termite bait can be used to control termites . for example , the compacted termite bait can be placed in the ground , perhaps inside another tube that allows access for termites . the compacted termite bait can also be encased in a durable material , such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 857 , 223 b2 ( hereby incorporated by reference ). in this patent , a termite bait is hermetically sealed with a non - biodegradable material through which termites can tunnel or chew . optional ingredients to include in the termite bait include , but are not limited to , a preservative to retard fungal growth and a protectant such as a bittering agent to provide a safety factor for exposed bait . an attractant is defined as any substance or combination of substances which will lure pests . examples of attractants are carbon dioxide and terpenes . feeding stimulants that can be used in the termite baits are , for example , polyhydroxy alcohols such as glycerin , and starch . examples of preservatives useful in the present invention are 1 , 2 - benzisothiazolin - 3 - one ( proxel gxl ® arch chemicals , inc . norwalk , conn . 06856 ) methyl paraben ( p - hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester ) and propyl paraben ( n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate ). fungistats would also be effective in increasing the longevity of the termite bait and retarding mold growth . the termite bait can be place in an area where at least one termite would be able to come across the termite bait . for example , the termite bait can be placed into the ground . as another embodiment , the termite bait can be placed in a termite station that is in the ground . such stations and methods are known in the art , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 016 , 625 ; 6 , 370 , 812 and 6 , 857 , 223 . in another embodiment , the termite bait can be used above ground . such methods are known in the art , for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 406 , 744 . once a termite comes into contact with the bait , the termite will eat the bait , or destroy the durable material encasing the bait thereby getting at the bait . once a portion of the bait is eaten , the termite would recruit other termites from the same colony to come and eat the bait , thereby further contaminating the colony with an insecticide , if the termite bait has insecticide in the bait . these examples are provided to illustrate certain aspects of this invention . these examples are not meant to limit the scope of the invention . noviflumuron is an insecticide available from dow agrosciences llc . pluronic p - 104 is a polyoxylene - polyoxyethylene block copolymer and is available from basf corporation . proxel gxl is an biocidal solution of 1 , 2 - benzisothiazolin - 3 - one and is available from arch chemicals , inc . antifoam b is a silicone antifoam emulsion and is available from dow corning . a insect concentrate containing the amounts of ingredients in the insecticide concentrate table was prepared as follows . pluronic p - 104 and water were mixed together to form a solution containing 23 . 3 weight percent pluronic p - 104 based on the total weight of the mixture ( pluronic p - 104 plus water ) (“ first mixture ”). the insect concentrate was made by mixing together and wet milling the first mixture , the noviflumuron , the proxel gxl , and the antifoam b in the amounts required to achieve the indicated weight percents . alpha cellulose is available from international fiber corporation as alphacel * bh100 . glucose is commonly available from multiple suppliers . citric acid is commonly available from multiple suppliers . dibasic sodium phosphate is commonly available from multiple suppliers . a termite bait containing the amounts of ingredients in the termite bait table was prepared as follows . alpha - cellulose , glucose , citric acid , and dibasic sodium phosphate were mixed until substantially uniform in a forberg mixer (“ alpha mixture ). prior to the insecticide concentrate being added to the alpha mixture , the insecticide concentrate was diluted in an amount of water equal to approximately 0 . 2 × the weight of alpha - cellulose to be compacted . this water provided moisture to aid the compaction process . the diluted insecticide concentrate was sprayed onto the alpha mixture to form a beta mixture . the beta mixture was then transferred from the mixer to a briquetter for compaction . the briquetter used to compact the beta mixture was a komarek b100 - a two roll - mill . this was equipped with a pair of rolls that make four rows of “ pillows ”. the dimensions of the rolls were 5 - in o . d .× 2 - in . wide . the briquettes formed were typically about 0 . 4 - in × 0 . 4 - in × 0 . 25 - in thick . the processing conditions on the briquetter for the beta mixture are : pre - load pressure of 1450 psig ; roll - speed setting 2 . 0 - 4 . 0 ; and feeder speed setting 3 . 0 - 7 . 0 . following collection , briquettes were dried at room temp or in a heated walk - in oven ( typically , 65 ° c .) to remove residual moisture to a measured level below 10 wt . %. the briquettes were then screened to remove fines , thus presenting a final form that was useful as a termite bait . a standard one - way feeding choice test was used to compare termite feeding on the different bait treatments . the testing set - up consisted of a plastic harborage chamber ( 5 . 5 cm round container with ventilated lid ) containing medium vermiculite / white river sand / water mixture of ca . 1 : 1 : 1 . the harborage chamber was connected to the bait foraging chamber ( 100 × 25 cm plastic petri dish ) by 1 / 32 ″ tygon tubing that was seven cm in length . for each test , a single briquette of each bait sample was placed approximately 0 . 5 ″ apart inside the foraging chamber test unit . each bait sample was weighed before testing . the bioassays were held in total darkness in a laboratory environment for seven days ( 10 d for r . virginicus test 3 ; 4 / 05 ) at 28 ° c . and 80 % rh . termite species tested were reticulitermes flavipes , reticulitermes virginicus and heterotermes aureus . the reticulitermes spp . were collected in mississippi and the heterotermes aureus were collected in arizona and then shipped overnight to dow agrosciences in indianapolis , ind . a total of 100 termites were infested in each choice test unit for r . virginicus and r . flavipes while 200 h . aureus termites were infested in each bioassay test unit . each choice test was replicated six times for r . virginicus and r . flavipes , and h . aureus was replicated seven times . three controls of each treatment were held under the same laboratory conditions to correct for weight changes . at the termination of each test , bait samples were oven dried ( 400 ° f . for 8 hours ), allowed to cool overnight in a dessicator , and then weighed to determine consumption . the data were analyzed using the paired t - test ( p = 0 . 10 ) to determine consumption differences between the bait samples . the comparison bait was made in a similar manner as the inventive bait above , except the comparison bait had no glucose , citric acid , or dibasic sodium phosphate . the wet treatments were treated with ice mountain de - ionized water ; each briquette was treated with 0 . 86 ml water / g at time of test initiation . as shown in table 1 , r . virginicus significantly preferred wet comparison bait vs . dry comparison bait in all three tests with the palatability ratio in favor of the wetted bait 3 - 11 × depending on the test . however , when wet comparison bait was given as a choice vs . dry inventive bait there were no significant differences noted . table 2 describes results for r . flavipes and h . aureus . similar to r . virginicus , r . flavipes significantly preferred the wetted comparison bait vs . dry comparison bait ( borderline significance , p = 0 . 099 ) with a palatability ratio in favor of the wetted bait at 3 . 67 ×. again however when wet comparison bait was compared to dry inventive bait there was no significant difference but the palatability ratio favored the dry inventive bait 1 . 37 ×. heterotermes aureus also preferred ( borderline statistical significance , p = 0 . 102 ) the wetted comparison bait vs . the dry comparison bait . similar to the other species tested , there was no significant difference noted for comparison bait vs . inventive bait dry for h . aureus although the palatability ratio ( dry inventive bait vs . wet comparison bait ) favored inventive bait , 2 . 54 ×. overall the data indicate that for all three species of subterranean termites tested ( r . virginicus , r . flavipes and h . aureus ), wetted comparison bait was preferred over dry comparison bait , and there were no significant differences for consumption of dry inventive bait vs . wetted comparison bait . because there was no difference or greater consumption with inventive bait for a given species this means wetting the inventive bait will not be necessary thereby saving the user time and materials .
a termite bait comprising cellulose , at least one sugar , and at least one acid is provided . this termite bait can further comprise at least one insecticide . furthermore , this termite bait can be encased in or contained in a durable material . additionally , a process to make such termite baits is provided . additionally , a process comprising placing such a termite bait in an area where at least one termite would be able to come across said termite bait is provided .