Active ingredient (a.i.): The biologically active component of a pesticide formulation.

Agrochemicals: Chemicals used in agriculture production systems including fertilizers, and pesticides, such as insecticides and herbicides.

Aerial termite infestations: Alates of some subterranean termite genera can establish a colony in the upper parts of buildings, railway carriages, boats and the like without the need for contact with the soil for as long as they have access to a source of moisture.

Alates: Fully winged adult termites, possible future kings and queens, which swarm from the nest at a certain time of year to mate and found new colonies. They vary in colour from black to pale brown and the wings are opaque grey to black.

Arboreal nesting termites: Build carton nests primarily on trees, poles, fences, and under at times also in the roof of buildings; usually have nasute soldiers.

Bait: Food placed to attract termites, which has been treated with a control agent in view of eliminating them (the elimination can take some time, depending on the agent). The agent can be a traditional pesticide, a more specific chemical, or a pathogen, but recently the most commonly used agents in baits are moult (or chitin synthesis) inhibitors targeting a process which is specific to insects..

Beneficials: Organisms that provide a benefit to crop production, including natural enemies of pests and pollinators such as bees.

Bio-accumulation: Increase in the concentration of a pollutant in an organism compared to its direct environment or food. (2)

Bio-magnification: Increase of the concentration of a pollutant as it moves from one trophic level to another through the food chain. (2)

Biological Control: Using or encouraging living organisms (natural enemies) such as pathogens, parasites or predators, to manage pests.

Carcinogenic: causing cancer (2)

CAS Number: Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number - a unique number identifying a substance

Castes: Different looking individuals living together in the termite colony, which have a particular function, such as workers or soldiers.

Chitin: One of the main components in the exoskeletons of insects and the cell walls of fungi. It is a polysaccharide; constructed from units of acetylglucosamine.

Chlorophyll: The green pigment of plants that captures the energy from sunlight necessary for photosynthesis.

Cultural control: procedures such as crop rotation, tillage, irrigation and fertilization which can contribute to reducing incidence of pests

COP: Conference of the Parties

Dampwood termites: Ecological group of termites which live and feed in moist wood, especially stumps and fallen trees on the forest floor, although some species actually prefer drier wood.

Dressing: Localized pesticide application

Drywood termites: Ecological group of termites which nest in wood above the soil level.  They do not need contact to the soil or with other sources of moisture because of a low requirement for water.

Ecology: The science studying relationships between organisms and between organisms and their environment.

Economic threshold: The pest density at which measures must be taken to prevent the pest from reaching the level at which economic yield losses are expected, that is, cost of control is less than the value gained

Endocrine System: The hormonal communication and control system, regulating numerous bodily functions (see hormone)

Entomology: Science studying insects

Environment: Surroundings, including water, air, soil and their interrelationship as well as all relationships between them and any living organisms. (1)

Exotic termites: Species which have been introduced from elsewhere and are not naturally present in the country / area. They are often (accidentally) brought into countries through commerce. 

FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Food Chain: A series of food organisms and those which consume them, to be in turn consumed by the next trophic level (e.g. from plankton to fish to fish-eating bird). It is a linear and simple feeding relation, where one organism has one type of food and is eaten by one type of organism. In nature, the situation is usually more complex, and the term “food web” more correctly describes the situation, where a variety of organisms each feed on a variety of other organisms and are in turn fed on by more organisms.

(Pesticide) Formulation: The pure pesticide substance can seldom be used as it is. It is therefore formulated with solvents, dispersants and other additives. (2) Formulation means the combination of various ingredients designed to render the product useful and effective for the purpose claimed; the form of the pesticide as purchased by users. (1)

Frass: Solid faecal material, dry excrement produced by insects.

Fumigation: Pest control using a gas

Fungi (plural, singular fungus): Filamentous organisms with cell walls containing chitin, lacking chlorophyll (unlike green plants they cannot photosynthesize - make organic nutrients using energy from sunlight); reproduce through spores; examples are moulds and mushrooms.

GEF: The Global Environment Facility

GTEG: UNEP/FAO Global Termite Expert Group

Habitat: A habitat is a place where an organism lives or the place where one would go to find it.

Hormone: A hormone (from Greek horman - "to set in motion") is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. Multicellular organisms producing hormones include plants.

Hydrophobic: Not liable to dissolve in water.

IARC: International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization).

Insect Growth Regulators: A heterogeneous group of compounds such as juvenile hormone analogues or chitin synthesis inhibitors which prevent moult, retarding or inhibiting growth, or influencing caste development (i.e. excessive production of soldiers).

Integrated Pest Management (IPM): The careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms. (1)

Insects: A class of animals with six legs and three body parts, head, thorax and abdomen.

Insecticide: Pesticide intended for use against insects.

Lipophilic: Readily dissolves in fat.

LD 50: Measure of toxicity: the dose that is expected to kill 50% of test organisms. The unit is usually mg (toxin) per kg (body weight). (2)

Moult: Organisms with an external skeleton such as insects and other arthropods increase in size by moulting: growing a new skin (cuticle) and shedding the old one to enter a new stage in their development

Mound-building termites: Mound-building termites are technically a form of subterranean termite, which construct nests arising from the ground.

Mutagenic: Causing mutations, changes in genetic material, change in structure or quantity of DNA .

NAPs: National Action Plans

NIPs: National Implementation Plans for implementing obligations under the Stockholm Convention

Nasute soldiers: Have a brown to black head and a conical "nose" through which they can squirt a defensive liquid.

Natural enemies: Organisms which are detrimental to a pest species.  They affect the pest species as pathogens, parasites or predators.

Nematodes: Unsegmented round worms, often microscopic. Most are free living, but others are parasites

Organochlorines: Group of organic chemicals containing chlorine that includes insecticides, such as aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, DDT, heptachlor, mirex, and toxaphene.

Parasite: Organism that lives on or in another, the host, depending on it for food. The host receives no benefit at all. Some parasites cause early death of the host, others are virtually harmless to it.

Pathogen: Organism causing disease

Pellets: Droppings, those expelled by drywood termites are grit/sand-like, six-sided, elongated, and less than one millimetre.

Pest: A pest is an organism that harms useful plants, domestic animals or humans. Pests can also destroy commodities such as stored food or buildings.

Pesticides: Substances or mixtures of substances intended for preventing, destroying or controlling a pest.

Pheromone: A substance (odour) used for communication between individuals of the same species. Vital for locating mates in many insects. (2)

Plant vigour: Plant growing without water or nutrient stress, in sufficient light.

POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that resist degradation and are lipophilic, and therefore have the ability to bio-accumulate and bio-magnify, with long-term effects on health and environment. They are also semi‑volatile, enabling them to move long distances in the atmosphere before deposition occurs. Examples are organochlorine insecticides and several industrial chemical products or byproducts including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzo‑p‑dioxins (dioxins) and dibenzo‑p‑furans (furans). An initial list of 12 POPs including 5 termiticides are covered by the Stockholm Convention that aims at eliminating further releases of these substances.

ppb: Parts per billion.

ppm: Parts per million.

Predator: Animal that kills living animals and then feeds on them.

Resistant plants: certain plant varieties which are not susceptible to a disease or attacks by an insect.

(Pesticide)Resistance of insects: The capacity of an insect to withstand the killing effect of a chemical (insecticide). The resistance is, usually linked to a genetic trait that is propagated in a population because of selection pressures.

Rotation: Changing the species of crop grown on a plot of land between growing seasons to reduce problems with pests and conserve soil fertility.

SC: Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Shelter tubes: Earthen sheathing, mud passages which termites construct in order to reach a food source, e.g. on walls of constructions, over grass, soil surfaces, bark etc

Sp.: Species (singular)

Spp.: Species (plural)

Species (of termites): Groups of actually or potentially interbreeding populations.

Specificity: Capacity of a chemical to affect only the target organism, without affecting other kinds of organisms in the same environment.

SSC: Secretariat for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Subterranean termites: Ecological grouping of termites which reach their sources of moisture and food by tunnelling through the soil. They often nest in the soil (see also mound-building termites, aerial termite infestations).

Swarming: Release of alates from a termite nest at species-specific times of the year. A means for termites to spread beyond the colony territory.: new (winged) kings and queens (collectively called alates) flying off to start new nests.

Taxonomy: The science of classification of organisms.

Teratogenic: Causing foetal damage. (2)

Termites: Termites are small (4 to 15 mm long) and variable in colour from white to tan and even black. They belong to the group of insects called Isoptera, are social insects and live in colonies. Features that help to differentiate termites from ants include termites having straight, flexible antennae and a broad waist while ants have elbowed antennae and a narrow waist.

Termiticides: Pesticides used against termites

Thermal control: Destruction of insects using high or low temperatures

Trophic level: Step in a food chain consisting of organisms obtaining their food in the same general manner, for example by eating plants

Toxicity: A physiological or biological property which determines the capacity of a chemical to do harm or produce injury to a living organism by other than mechanical means. (1)

UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme

Volatilisation: Capacity to evaporate into the atmosphere

WHO: World Health Organization

(1) Source: FAO (2003) International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. (Revised version) - FAO, Rome: 5-8

(2) Source: IOMC/UNEP/FAO/WHO (2002) Reducing and eliminating the use of Persistent Organic Pesticides - UNEP, Geneva: 88