Behaviour and control of leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Attini)
Behaviour and control of leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Attini)
The cues used for orientation on chemical trails were studied in laboratory colonies of Atta cephalotes, Att a laevigata and Acromyrmex octospinosus. The ants use cues other than the odour trail itself when homing. When cues give contradictory information, Atta workers use them in a certain hierarchy, which is: presence of an odour trail, visual cues, spatial layout of the trail, odour cues on the trail and gravitational cues. A. octospinosus seems to have a different hierarchy, giving more importance to odour cues on the trail. The agonistic behaviour of A. cephalotes and A. laevigata on differently marked territories was studied. Areas were marked with territorial scent by the ants. Workers were then introduced and the encounters observed. The results show that territorial marking is important in determining the initiation of the fight, the resident ant being more aggressive on marked territory. Workers of A. sexdens rubropilosa mark their territory with a pheromone that is produced in the tip of their abdomens. It would seem that (Z)-9-nonadecene may be involved in the process of territorial marking in this species. The economic importance of leaf-cutting ants in Brazil is reviewed and supplementary information added as a result of a questionnaire survey carried out among forestry companies. Eucalyptus plantations can suffer badly and may prove impossible to establish without ant control. Despite the progress of modern pest control technology, there are still many problems to be solved in ant control. In an attempt to improve the attractiveness of baits to ants, first in the laboratory, vermiculite particles were impregnated with an extract of A. sexdens rubropilosa whole abdomens. This increased the pick-up rate in A. sexdens rubropilosa, but not in A. sexdens sexdens. 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine seems to be the component responsible for the increase in pick-up. However, despite more particles being picked up, only a small percentage of them was taken into the nest. In the field trials, using citrus-pulp bait with pheromones, an increase in pick-up was not detected. The pheromone appeared to excite the ants but did not increase pick-up of the food-bait, which is itself attractive to the ants. This bait, a new improved citrus-pulp bait, proved to be very attractive, and its properties were investigated in various bio-assays.
University of Southampton
1983
Vilela, Evaldo F
(1983)
Behaviour and control of leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Attini).
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The cues used for orientation on chemical trails were studied in laboratory colonies of Atta cephalotes, Att a laevigata and Acromyrmex octospinosus. The ants use cues other than the odour trail itself when homing. When cues give contradictory information, Atta workers use them in a certain hierarchy, which is: presence of an odour trail, visual cues, spatial layout of the trail, odour cues on the trail and gravitational cues. A. octospinosus seems to have a different hierarchy, giving more importance to odour cues on the trail. The agonistic behaviour of A. cephalotes and A. laevigata on differently marked territories was studied. Areas were marked with territorial scent by the ants. Workers were then introduced and the encounters observed. The results show that territorial marking is important in determining the initiation of the fight, the resident ant being more aggressive on marked territory. Workers of A. sexdens rubropilosa mark their territory with a pheromone that is produced in the tip of their abdomens. It would seem that (Z)-9-nonadecene may be involved in the process of territorial marking in this species. The economic importance of leaf-cutting ants in Brazil is reviewed and supplementary information added as a result of a questionnaire survey carried out among forestry companies. Eucalyptus plantations can suffer badly and may prove impossible to establish without ant control. Despite the progress of modern pest control technology, there are still many problems to be solved in ant control. In an attempt to improve the attractiveness of baits to ants, first in the laboratory, vermiculite particles were impregnated with an extract of A. sexdens rubropilosa whole abdomens. This increased the pick-up rate in A. sexdens rubropilosa, but not in A. sexdens sexdens. 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine seems to be the component responsible for the increase in pick-up. However, despite more particles being picked up, only a small percentage of them was taken into the nest. In the field trials, using citrus-pulp bait with pheromones, an increase in pick-up was not detected. The pheromone appeared to excite the ants but did not increase pick-up of the food-bait, which is itself attractive to the ants. This bait, a new improved citrus-pulp bait, proved to be very attractive, and its properties were investigated in various bio-assays.
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Published date: 1983
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Local EPrints ID: 460113
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/460113
PURE UUID: 471f44da-4048-4bfe-b418-5b025839648f
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 17:54
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 17:54
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Author:
Evaldo F Vilela
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