Individual Behavior of Workers of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) on Consecutive Days of Tunnel Construction

نویسنده

  • Mary L. Cornelius
چکیده

This study examines the individual behavior of workers of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shirkai, on two consecutive days of tunnel construction. In each trial, a group of 30 termite workers was observed continuously during the first 60 min of construction of a new tunnel on two consecutive days. On each day, an average of 68% of individuals did not participate in tunnel construction, 19% spent < 25 min tunneling, and 13% spent ≥ 25 min tunneling. There were specific individuals that did most of the work in the construction of new tunnels on both days. An individual that spent at least 25 min tunneling on Day 1 was significantly more likely to spend at least 25 min tunneling on Day 2 than individuals that spent < 25 min tunneling on Day 1. When individuals were ranked based on the time spent tunneling on Day 1 and Day 2, there were individuals ranked as one of the top four excavators on both days in three of the four groups. These results indicate that there is evidence of task allocation by termite workers during the construction of a new tunnel.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Foraging Behavior of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Response to Borate Treated Wood

Foragers of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, were allowed to tunnel in two dimensional, sand filled arenas containing Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) wafers pressure treated with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) to an average retention of 1.77 % BAE on one side of each arena, and untreated wafers of Douglas-fir on the other side. Arenas...

متن کامل

Factors that Influence Tunneling in the Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)1

Although subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) foraging behavior involves the construction of gallery systems in soil, few studies have examined how colony size or soil environmental factors influence rates of construction and morphology of gallery systems. In this study, we investigated the effects of soil texture, soil moisture, and termite density on the rate of tunnel constructio...

متن کامل

Effect of orange oil extract on the formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermesformosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), accidentally brought into the United States, has become a major urban pest, causing damage to structures and live trees. Because of increasing restrictions on the use of conventional termiticides, attention is focused on finding safer alternative methods for termite management. Oil from citrus peel, re...

متن کامل

Repellency of Formosan Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) to Dead Termites and Attraction to 2-Phenoxyethanol With and Without Nonrepellent Insecticides

The response of the Formosan subterranean termite to both dead termites and 2-phenoxyethanol with and without nonrepellent insecticide residues was examined using three commercially available pesticide formulations (acetamiprid, fipronil, and imidacloprid). Results indicated that significantly more search tunnels were constructed in the 2-phenoxyethanol-treated sand with three different insecti...

متن کامل

Colony breeding system influences cuticular bacterial load of Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) workers.

The goal of this study was to test whether the breeding system and/or the degree of inbreeding of field colonies of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) influences bacterial load on the cuticle of foraging workers. We enumerated bacterial load on the cuticle of groups of workers foraging in 20 inground monitoring stations surrounding the...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره 3  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2012