FORAGING ACTIVITY OF THE SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE, Anacanthotermes ochraceus (Burmeister) (ISOPTERA : HODOTERMITIDAE) AT El-FAYOUM GOVERNORATE, EGYPT

Document Type : Research articles.

Authors

1 Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

2 Plant Protection Research Institute, ARC, MOA, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

The foraging activity of the subterranean termite, Anacanthotermes
ochraceus (Burmeister) (Isoptera: Hodotermitidae) was studied at ElSaidia village, Sennoures district, El-Fayoum Governorate, Egypt,
throughout the two successive years 1997 and 1998 using perforated
Polyvinyl chloride (P.V.C.) traps filled with corrugated cardboard paper
then buried into the soil to a depth of 30 cm. Traps were replaced with
new ones at monthly intervals. Parameters used for assessing foraging
activity are % visited traps, number of workers, food consumption and soil
translocation (construction activity).The percentage of visited traps ranged
0-34% in 1997 and 15-57 in 1998. The highest percentages of visited traps
were recorded during July – October while relatively less percentages
occurred between January and June. The vast majority of the foragers
(98%) were workers but their numbers were not regarded as a reliable
parameter for measuring foraging activity. Food consumption was
relatively low during winter, more or less moderate during both spring and
autumn and relatively high throughout summer with two distinct peaks;
one in March – May and the other in September. Soil translocation
increased progressively between January and September then tended to
decline between October and December. Two peaks of soil translocation
occurred; the first in May and the second in September. The relative
efficiency of the four above-mentioned foraging activity parameters was
discussed. Soil translocation seemed to be the most reliable quantitative
parameter for the assessment of the foraging activity of the termite species
under investigation.

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