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ANT TRAFFIC ON DIFFERENT TREE SPECIES IN CONNECTICUT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Ronald M. Weseloh
Ronald M. Weseloh
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, USA 06504
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Abstract

Forest ants in Connecticut, especially Formica neogagates Emery and F. subsericea Say (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), feed on first- to third-instar larvae of gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae), but mainly forage on the ground while most young caterpillars are in trees. It would be helpful to obtain information about the individual ants that do climb trees. Thus, numbers of ants climbing up and down different species of forest trees were determined. Numbers varied with both tree species and trunk diameter. Some oaks, plus hickories, tended to have the most ant traffic. These trees were also the most likely to have trunk diameters positively correlated with ant activity. Ants appeared to obtain honeydew or perhaps nectar from the trees, as the crop contents of some ants tested positive for sugar. A possible way to induce more ants to climb trees, and thus to attack caterpillars in trees more frequently, would be to increase numbers of honeydew-producing insects in trees. It should also be possible to encourage ants by spraying trees with sugar solutions or other materials.

Résumé

Les fourmis des forêts du Connecticut, particulièrement Formica neogagates Emery et F. subsericea Say (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) se nourrissent de larves des stades 1–3 de la Spongieuse Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera : Lymantriidae), mais elles cherchent leur nourriture surtout au sol, alors que les jeunes chenilles se trouvent dans les arbres. Il serait très utile de savoir pourquoi certaines fourmis grimpent aux arbres. Le nombre de fourmis grimpeuses a donc été déterminé sur différentes espèces d’arbres de la forêt. Ce nombre variait en fonction de l’espèce d’arbre et du diamètre du tronc. Certains chênes et des caryers étaient les arbres les plus fréquentés par les fourmis grimpeuses. Ces arbres étaient les plus aptes à avoir un diamètre en corrélation positive avec l’activité des fourmis. Les fourmis semblaient y trouver du miellat ou même du nectar puisque les contenus stomacaux de certaines fourmis contentaient du sucre. Une bonne façon d’inciter les fourmis à grimper aux arbres, et donc d’augmenter la fréquence de leurs attaques contre les larves de spongieuses, serait d’augmenter le nombre d’insectes producteurs de miellat dans les arbres. L’arrosage des arbres au moyen de solutions de sucre ou d’autres substances semble également une méthode susceptible d’inciter les fourmis à grimper.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 127 , Issue 4 , August 1995 , pp. 569 - 575
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1995

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