Dry-Wood Termite Attacks in a 55-Year-Old Display 
of Hawaii-Grown Wood 
R. Sidney Boone 1 
ABSTRACT: Display racks built in 1909 to exhibit various woods grown in Hawaii 
provided some unique observations on dry-wood termite infections. Of 79 wood 
samples, including 76 species, 54 samples were not attacked. It is quite likely that 
this may be the only record of dry-wood termite resistance for many of these species. 
As they are in most tropical areas of the 
world, dry-wood termites ( Cryptotermes brevis 
Walker) are a serious problem in Hawaii. 
These insect pests differ from subterranean 
termites in that they live entirely in wood, never 
enter the ground, and require but little moisture 
for existence. Established colonies of subterra- 
nean termites normally maintain contact with 
the ground — usually in the form of earthern 
tunnels — for their constant supply of moisture. 
Colonies of dry-wood termites grow slowly. 
1 Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment 
Station, Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agricul- 
ture, Honolulu, Hawaii. Manuscript received Octo- 
ber 21, 1965. 
They are usually much smaller than colonies of 
subterranean termites. Dry- wood termites can 
attack wood with a moisture content as low as 
10-12% and possibly even lower (Hunt and 
Garrett, 1953:53). Consequently they are found 
in the upper structural parts of houses, tele- 
phone and utility poles, furniture, fiber insula- 
tion board, pianos, paper, and other wood 
products having a low moisture content. 
Three display racks built in 1909 provided 
us with some unique observations on dry-wood 
termite infestations. They were built to exhibit 
various woods grown in the Hawaiian Islands. 
In 1910 they won a gold medal at the Alaska- 
Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. Since then, 
