The use of light to enhance weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) queen catches

Authors

  • Wilson A. Nene Naliendele Agricultural Research Institute
  • Joachim Offenberg Aarhus University
  • Gration M Rwegasira Sokoine University of Agriculture
  • Maulid w Mwatawala Sokoine University of Agriculture

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v64i1.1216

Keywords:

light source, natural predator, founding queen, Tanzania

Abstract

Production of live weaver ant (Oecophylla longinoda and O. smaragdina) colonies is being developed as the ants provide several ecosystem services in agriculture and as they are used in education and research laboratories. Founding queens needed for colony production can be caught in artificial nests made of live leaves that are curled on trees. In this study we investigated if the catch rate of O. longinoda queens in artificial nests could be improved by attracting queens to trees with a light source (electric torches). We compared catch rates of 50 artificial nests on each of eight citrus trees, four of them with light and four without light. During two mating seasons covering 9 mating flights we caught a total of 178 queens. However, 3.8 times more queens were caught in the trees with light compared to trees without light. We conclude that queen catches can be highly improved by combining artificial nests with an attracting light source.

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Author Biographies

Wilson A. Nene, Naliendele Agricultural Research Institute

Agricultural Research Officer, Under research department in the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries

Joachim Offenberg, Aarhus University

Senior Lecturer, Terrestrial ecology, Department of bioscience

Gration M Rwegasira, Sokoine University of Agriculture

Senior Lecturer, Department of Crop Science and Horticulture

Maulid w Mwatawala, Sokoine University of Agriculture

Senior Lecturer and Professor, Department of crop science and horticulture

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Published

2017-05-30

How to Cite

Nene, W. A., Offenberg, J., Rwegasira, G. M., & Mwatawala, M. w. (2017). The use of light to enhance weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) queen catches. Sociobiology, 64(1), 14–17. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v64i1.1216

Issue

Vol. 64 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Research Article - Ants

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