Escape Behavior of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Response to Disturbance |
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Authors: | Bal Krishna Gautam Gregg Henderson |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 404 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA; |
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Abstract: | Disturbances to monitors and baits have often been noted as a confounding factor for the success of termite baiting systems.
We studied escape behavior of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki to a food source disturbance in the laboratory. Four peripheral chambers connected to the central food chamber through
tubes served as escape routes from which escape patterns, escape and return times and differences in soldier and worker responses
were recorded. We used two sand conditions: moist and dry to test whether favorable versus unfavorable conditions change escape
behavior. The post disturbance responses were video recorded for 1 h. C. formosanus quickly escaped from the central chamber when disturbed. The time taken to reach the maximum number of termites that escaped
ranged from 20 s to 210 s followed by a gradual return to the disturbed chamber. The majority of the escapees returned to
the disturbed area within a few minutes after evacuation in both dry and wet sand conditions. A significantly higher percentage
of termites escaped in wet sand arenas (43%) than in the dry sand arenas (31%). Our experiments demonstrate that C. formosanus is highly unlikely to abandon bait stations for extensive periods of time as a result of mechanical disturbances regardless
of habitat quality. |
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