Foraging behavior and Preferences for Alternative Supplementary Feeds by the African Weaver Ant, Oecophylla longinoda Latreille (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Abstract

Weaver ants, Oecophylla spp, are effective predators that control a wide range of insect pests in multiple crops when maintained at high population. Supplementary feeding, particularly during reduced food availability is one of the management practices that maintain and boost weaver ants' populations. Experiments were conducted between September and October 2013, January and February, 2014 to determine the type of food preferred by weaver ants, O. longinoda. Twenty colonies of O. longinoda were provided with four types of food to determine their feeding preferences. These include anchovy, chicken intestine, fish intestines and earthworms. We examined food preferred by ants based on weight of the food removed and activity of the ants on foods. Furthermore, we examined foraging behavior of ant workers on anchovy food (fresh-ground and dry-ground) in nine O. longinoda colonies. Thereafter, small and large particles of dried-ground anchovy were tested. The results showed that O. longinoda preferred anchovy to other foods provided. However, the results of Analytical Hierarchy Process showed that earthworm and fish intestine were the most accessible food types by farmers, as determined by availability, affordability and applicability. We observed more ants on fresh-ground as opposed to dry anchovy; similarly, large particles were more easily removed than was the case with small particles. Thus, during reduced food availability, farmers in the study area should use earthworms and fish intestines feeds to supplement O. longinoda colonies. Fresh moist anchovy or dry anchovy of large particle sizes can be used where available.

Food Preferences and Foraging Activity of Asian Weaver Ants, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…Furthermore, we observed the weaver ants had difficulty to collect and remove milk powder using their mandibles. Nene et al (2016) explained that O. longinoda faced difficulty in collecting small particles back to their nest due to large mandibles. The current study showed O. smaragdina preferred tuna and chicken skin which had a high nutrient combination of protein and lipid contents, but they were not interested in milk powder which contains 2:1:1 ratio of carbohydrate, protein, and lipid.…”

“…The distribution of O. smaragdina in Malaysia is abundant (Jander & Jander 1979;Blüthgen & Fiedler 2002), but little is known about their foraging activities (Peng et al 2012a) and food preferences (Nene et al 2016), particularly in this region. However, there are some researches on their colony structures (Offenberg et al 2012;Marcela et al 2012), ecology (Offenberg et al 2004), predation behaviours (Pierre & Idris 2013;Gathalkar & Barsagade 2016), their benefit as biological control agent (Offenberg et al 2013;Rodríguez-Gironés et al 2013), and nuisances caused by this species (Van Mele et al 2009).…”

“…Several studies reported that different food baits used on index cards are different in their attractiveness for tropical ants (Chong & Lee 2006;Annie & Lee 2007). For examples, Monomorium pharaonis preferred both proteinaceous and oily foods (Annie & Lee 2007), T. indicum chose tuna among other proteinaceous foods (Chong & Lee 2006), whereas Oecophylla longinoda preferred anchovy to other foods provided (Nene et al 2016). In the case of successful crop protection, whereby weaver ants are widely applied as a biological control agent, understanding the food preference of weaver ants is essential to identify supplementary food for sustaining stable colonies during the scarcity of natural foods, as well as to boost population size (Nene et al 2016).…”

The effectiveness of the fipronil and imidacloprid active substances to control weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina)

“…Based on the research results, the humidity in the environment ranges from 60-65%. This makes it an ideal place for weaver ants to live and breed [19]. In addition, the light intensity needed to support the existence of weaver ants is 315-4550 lux.…”

Relationships between weather parameters and foraging daily activity of Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in oil palm plantations: Case Study

“…The arrangement of these layers can be several rows beginning from the base tree trunks to expand further by several successive waves creating a few lines of defense (Lim, 2007). Other important aspects of effective foraging are the food quality and quantity alongside the strategies of the foragers such as secluded, tandem running, tandem carrying, group and mass foraging (Guénard & Silverman, 2011;Nene et al, 2016).…”