Richard P. Vlosky 1 , Todd Shupe, Qinglin Wu Perceptions & use of termite resistant treated wood products. Part I: The perspective of homeowners in Formosan subterranean termite infected States Percepcija i uporaba drvnih proizvoda za{ti}enih od termita. Dio I: Stajali{ta vlasnika ku}a u dr`avama zara`enim podzemnim termitima iz porodice Coptotermes Original scientific paper · Izvorni znanstveni rad Received – prispjelo: 19. 3. 2009. Accepted – prihva}eno: 16. 7. 2009. UDK: 630*841; 630*845.3 ABSTRACT • Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki), is estimated to cause hun- dreds of millions of dollars in losses annually in North America. Unlike most subterranean species, Formosan ter- mites often build nests (cartons) in living trees and wooden buildings, and even penetrate plaster, plastic, asphalt, mortar, creosote, concrete, and rubber to reach wood. The study addresses issues that U.S. home owners consider in evaluating whether to buy or build homes that are built with termite resistant building materials. The sample fra- me for this study consisted of a random sample of 5.000 home owners in the region where Formosan subterranean termites are a current or potential problem. When examined by state, 50 percent of respondents in Hawaii said ter- mites have damaged the home they currently live in followed by respondents from Louisiana and California. On average, respondents indicated that preservative pressure treated wood and regular fumigation as being most ef- fective in protecting a house against termites and only 8 percent of respondents said they would not pay a premium for a guaranteed termite-free new home. Key words: termites, United States, wood products, home owners, loss SA@ETAK • Utvr|eno je da podzemni termiti (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki) u Sjevernoj Americi svake godine prouzro~e stotine milijuna dolara {tete. Za razliku od drugih vrsta podzemnih termita, termiti iz porodice Coptoter- mes ~esto grade gnijezda u `ivim stablima i drvenim gra|evinama, a mogu prodrijeti kroz `buku, plastiku, asfalt, kreozot, beton ili gumu da bi doprli do drva. U studiji se analiziraju stavke koje vlasnici ku}a u Sjedinjenim Ame- ri~kim Dr`avama uzimaju u obzir pri odluci o kupnji ili gradnji ku}e od drvnog materijala za{ti}enoga od termita. Uzorak za istra`ivanje dobiven je slu~ajnim odabirom 5 000 vlasnika ku}a u regiji u kojoj su navedeni termiti ak- DRVNA INDUSTRIJA 60 (3) 135-144 (2009) 135 ......... Vlosky, Shupe, Wu: Perceptions & use of termite resistant treated wood products 1 Authors are professors at Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 1 Autori su profesori u Centru za razvoj {umskih proizvoda, [koli za obnovljive prirodne resurse i Poljoprivrednom centru Sveu~ili{ta u Louisia- ni, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.