scholarly journals Coptotermes formosanusandCoptotermes gestroi(Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) Exhibit Quantitatively Different Tunneling Patterns

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmala K. Hapukotuwa ◽  
J. Kenneth Grace

Tunneling behavior and the spatial dispersion of tunnels constructed by the subterranean termitesCoptotermes formosanusShiraki andCoptotermes gestroi(Wasmann) (formerly known asC. vastatorLight) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) were examined in foraging arenas. The results indicated that these two termite species construct quantitatively different tunnel systems, supporting visual observations made in earlier studies.Coptotermes gestroiconstructed thin, highly branched tunnels, whileC. formosanustended to construct wider and less branched tunnels. Tunnels ofC. gestroishowed more spatial dispersion than those ofC. formosanus, and this species constructed a larger number of tunnels compared toC. formosanus. The presence or absence of food (wood) within the arena did not influence the tunneling pattern of either species. Although previous observations have suggested that these two termite species exhibit different tunneling behaviors; this is the first quantification of the differences. Comparative studies of the foraging behavior of subterranean termite species contribute to our understanding of their distribution and ecology and may help to improve pest management programs, particularly those based on placement of toxic baits. Moreover, differences in tunneling patterns may reflect different foraging strategies optimized for either tropical (C. gestroi) or subtropical/temperate (C. formosanus) environments.

Sociobiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmala K. Hapukotuwa ◽  
J. Kenneth Grace

Tunnel network construction and time to food (wood) discovery by Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) (formerly known as Coptotermes vastator Light in the Pacific region) was examined when wood was present in a clumped distribution that mimics field conditions in the subtropical and temperate regions where C. formosanus naturally occurs. Previous research has noted that the tropical species C. gestroi constructs a highly branched tunnel network, while the subtropical C. formosanus constructs longer tunnels with few branches. Grace et al. (2004) hypothesized that this difference in tunneling behavior may relate to a more homogenous distribution of woody resources in the tropics vs. a disjunct and clumped distribution of fallen wood in the cooler subtropics. Thus, C. gestroi may exhibit a thorough search of the immediate area where wood is initially located, while it may be more energetically efficient for C. formosanus to tunnel greater distances in search of scattered resources. To test this hypothesis, we placed two wood resources at the opposite ends of laboratory foraging arenas, and released 1500 termites (1350 workers: 150 soldiers) into each arena. Arenas were observed every 24 hours for 14 days. We measured the total daily tunnel length, number of tunnels created in each quadrant of the arenas, and average time to discover food at both ends. Total daily tunnel length was relatively longer with C. formosanus and average time to discover food at either end was longer for C. gestroi. Although replication was limited in this study, these observations lend support to the hypothesis that C. formosanus is able to locate distant resources more efficiently than C. gestroi.


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. 2888-2893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayshree S Patel ◽  
Thomas Chouvenc ◽  
Nan-Yao Su

Abstract Temperature preference of two invasive subterranean termites, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), and their hybrids were determined in a horizontal thermal gradient. The activity of workers of four mating combinations: ♀C. gestroi × ♂C. gestroi (C. gestroi), ♀C. formosanus × ♂C. formosanus (C. formosanus), ♀C. gestroi × ♂C. formosanus (Hybrid G), and ♀C. formosanus × ♂C. gestroi (Hybrid F), when placed on the temperature gradients were videotaped and analyzed to determine the mean temperature preference values (mTPV). The temperature ranges for active termites were 21.9–39.5°C for C. gestroi, 11.1–39.5°C for C. formosanus, 25.3–38.2°C for Hybrid G, and 24.9–39.3°C for Hybrid F. There was no significant difference in the mTPV of C. gestroi and both hybrid mating combinations. The mTPV of both Hybrid G and Hybrid F was significantly higher than the parental species C. formosanus. Our results indicate that hybrid populations of C. formosanus and C. gestroi might be more active in tropical than temperate regions, and if established in temperate regions, they will be more active in summer months when the mean temperature exceeds 25°C.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
Lucas Carnohan ◽  
Sang-Bin Lee ◽  
Nan-Yao Su

Effective active ingredients in toxicant bait formulations must be non-deterrent to insect feeding behavior at lethal concentrations. This study evaluated feeding deterrence for Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, C. gestroi (Wasmann), and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) when provided access to cellulose impregnated with various concentrations of the insect molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Termites were exposed to 20E concentrations of 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm and to noviflumuron at 5000 ppm in a 24 h choice-test, and the mass of substrate consumption from treated and untreated media pads was compared for each treatment. 20E feeding deterrence was detected at 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm for C. gestroi, and at 2000 ppm for C. formosanus. No significant differences in consumption of treated and untreated substrate was detected at any concentration for R. flavipes. Potential methods for reducing deterrence are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 129-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravneel R. Chand ◽  
Anjeela D. Jokhan ◽  
Harshna Charan ◽  
Kushaal Raj ◽  
Priyatma Singh

Termites belong to the infraorder Isoptera, which contains almost 3,000 described species worldwide. These social insects cause substantial damage globally leading to billions of dollars of losses annually. Damage can occur to timber, wooden goods, paper, cotton, certain plastics, trees and many crops. Consequently, termite control and management is a major sector in the global pest-control industry. However, economic losses due to termite damage have not been quantified in the Fiji Islands to date. A review of published literature was conducted to assess the geographic range of Asian subterranean termites that occur in the Fiji Islands and to identify existing and potential control measures. The most common termite species that is known to cause millions of dollars of damage each year in the Fiji Islands is Coptotermes gestroi. This species is currently controlled primarily using the chemical fipronil but integrated termite management is the preferred long-term solution. Other possible control methods include physical, cultural, chemical and biological options.


Holzforschung ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Doi ◽  
Y. Kurimoto ◽  
W. Ohmura ◽  
S. Ohara ◽  
M. Aoyama ◽  
...  

Summary This paper deals with the results of choice feeding tests of two termite species, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe), with steam-treated and dry-heated samples of Japanese commercial woods. Some steam-treated species were heavily attacked by C. formosanus and R. speratus while all dry-heated samples were attacked not more than unheated controls except for the combination Japanese larch-R. speratus. The steam treatment in some wood species produced feeding attractants which were removed by hot water extraction. Termite species showed some differences in the susceptibility to these substances. Attraction of the termites to steam-treated Japanese beech was different from that to the steam-treated softwoods. These phenomena were discussed with references to heat treatment of wood as well as to termite attractive factors.


2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1729) ◽  
pp. 813-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Vargo ◽  
Paul E. Labadie ◽  
Kenji Matsuura

Termite colonies are founded by a pair of primary reproductives. In many species, including subterranean termites (family Rhinotermitidae), the primary king and queen can be succeeded by neotenic reproductives that are produced from workers or nymphs within the colony. It is generally believed that these neotenics inbreed within the colony, sometimes for many generations. Here, we show that primary queens of the North American subterranean termite, Reticulitermes virginicus , are replaced by numerous parthenogenetically produced female neotenics. We collected functional female neotenics from five colonies of R. virginicus in North Carolina and Texas, USA. Genetic analysis at eight microsatellite loci showed that 91–100% of the neotenics present within a colony were homozygous at all loci, indicating that they were produced through automictic parthenogenesis with terminal fusion. In contrast, workers, soldiers and alates were almost exclusively sexually produced by mating between the female neotenics and a single king. This is the second termite species shown to undergo asexual queen succession, a system first described in the Japanese species, Reticulitermes speratus . Thus, the conditional use of sexual and asexual reproduction to produce members of different castes may be widespread within Reticulitermes and possibly other subterranean termites.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arinana Arinana ◽  
Ahmad Fannani ◽  
Dodi Nandika ◽  
Noor Haneda

Abstract. Ariana, Fannani AR, Nandika D, Haneda NF. 2020. Field test on the palatability of the subterranean termites to pine wood with various treatments. Biodiversitas 21: 5763-5771. One of the keys to successfully determining the subterranean termite species' diversity in an area is using wood samples of their preference. This research aimed to evaluate the palatability of the subterranean termites to pine wood (Pinus merkusii) with boiling, steaming, hot vapor pressure, and oven treatments in the Arboretum of the Faculty of Forestry, IPB University, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, and to analyze the species and the distribution of the subterranean termites that attacked the samples. The wood samples were 2 cm x 2 cm x 46 cm in size (ASTM D 1758-06). The steaming (100°C), boiling (100°C), and hot vapor pressure (1 bar, 105°C) treatments were carried out for five hours, while the oven treatment (103±2°C) was set up for 48 hours. Wood samples without treatment were also prepared as a control. After the treatments, all the samples were air-dried, sanded, weighed, and installed in the research location. The results showed that four subterranean termite species, i.e., Schedorhinotermes sp., Microtermes sp., Capritermes sp., and Macrotermes sp, were found attacking the wood samples. The highest attack frequency and the highest damage intensity were found in wood samples with hot vapor pressure treatment. Based on the scoring, the preeminent treatment for the wood samples was the hot vapor pressured treatment.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Quoc Huy

The results of investigations and assessments about termites damagging 178 buildings in the Hoi An ancient town identified 6 species of 2 genera and 2 families. In which, Coptotermes was dominant genus with 4 species, and Cryptotermes had 2 species. There were 102/178 investigated buildings being invaded by termites with various levels. There were 4 species identified as major pests for the Hoi An ancient town. The most dangerous termite species for building was Coptotermes gestroi, followed by Coptotermes formosanus, C. ceylonicus and Cryptotermes domesticus. 77 works which were invaded by Coptotermes had been treated with BDM10 bait. The results showed that the efficiency of termite treatment reached 100% in all of works, in which: 78.11% of the works had achieved the control effect just for the first treatmen; 19,39% of the works needed to be treated for the second time and only 2.5% of the works that were severely damaged, needed  the third time for control with bait.


1988 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan-Yao Su ◽  
Rudolf H. Scheffrahn ◽  
Paul Ban

Workers of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, and the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) were force-fed a dye marker, Sudan Red 7B, and confined with different proportions of unmarked termites. No significant mortality due to the dye was detected for up to 8 weeks after the treatment in either species. The marked/unmarked proportion did not affect the retention of the dye or mortality. Workers of C. formosanus retained visible dye for 6 weeks, while significant numbers (10–50%) of marked R. flavipes lost the dye within two weeks. Sudan Red 7B is suitable for estimating population size of C. formosanus with the multiple-marking method where the mark-recapture period extends to 6 weeks. The dye is not an adequate marker for R. flavipes when the mark-recapture period is ≥ 2 weeks.


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