Colony Size Estimates, Foraging Trends, and Physiological Characteristics of the Western Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Foraging activity and demographic patterns of two termite species (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) living in urban landscapes in southeastern Brazil

“…The percentage of stakes attacked was positively related to the mean minimum temperatures recorded in summer and winter. In this region, differences in the mean minimum temperature between these seasons range from 12 to 14 o C. This is consistent with the results of Haagsma & Rust (1995), who found that minimum temperature was the most important factor affecting activity in R. hesperus. However, environmental factors may have a different effect on the activity of the termites, as described for other subterranean species (Delaplane et al, 1991;Haagsma & Rust, 1995).…”

“…In this region, differences in the mean minimum temperature between these seasons range from 12 to 14 o C. This is consistent with the results of Haagsma & Rust (1995), who found that minimum temperature was the most important factor affecting activity in R. hesperus. However, environmental factors may have a different effect on the activity of the termites, as described for other subterranean species (Delaplane et al, 1991;Haagsma & Rust, 1995). In the present study, wood consumption was similar in summer and winter, which suggests the existence of a compensation strategy in the foraging activities in both seasons, as described for C. formosanus (Waller & La Fage, 1987).…”

“…Consequently, the foraging population can provide a good estimate of colony size and territory range. Mark-release-recapture methods are currently used to estimate the size of the foraging population of subterranean termites (Su & Scheffrahn, 1988;Grace et al, 1989;Jones, 1990;Nutting & Jones, 1990;Haagsma & Rust, 1995). These methods make certain assumptions, which according to Evans et al (1999) are frequently violated in studies of both tropical and temperate termites, and result in overestimates of population size (Forschler & Townsend, 1996;Evans et al, 1998).…”

Subterranean Termites of the Oklahoma Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Cross Timbers

“…If the bait is spaced improperly around a structure or a non-adequate number of stations used, the colony may not be completely eliminated. Seasonal differences are important factors that affect foraging behavior of termites, and different species react differently to these factors (Jones 1988, Haagsma and Rust 1995, Evans 2001, Glenn 2005. The size of the foraging territory for a termite colony may range from 9.0 to 2,361m 2 (Jones 1990, Brown et al 2008.…”

População e território de forrageamento de uma colônia de Heterotermes tenuis (Hagen) (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae)

“…Uma das alternativas para o estudo dessas espécies é o emprego da técnica de marcação e recaptura, adaptada para populações de cupins. A vantagem dessa técnica é que ela não é destrutiva, permitindo o estudo das mesmas populações por um período longo e podendo ser usada em ambientes urbanos, onde o forrageamento e os ninhos de cupins ocorrem sob lajes de concreto, pavimentos de asfalto e dentro de edificações (BEGON 1979, SU & SCHEFFRAHN 1988, GRACE 1990JONES 1990a, b, SU et al 1993, HAAGSMA & RUST 1995, COSTA-LEONARDO 1996, FORCHLER & TOWNSED 1996, COSTA-LEONARDO & CAMARGO-DIETRICH 1999, COSTA-LEONARDO 2002.…”