Foraging Behavior of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Abstract

A field study was conducted to examine the foraging pattern of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shirah A dye, Sudan Red 7B, was used as a marking material to identify foragers feeding at specific foraging sites. The results showed that the termites selected their foraging sites at random. No preferences in foraging site were observed. Since foraging sites were selected at random, all of the foragers in a given colony would visit a specific foraging site, given sufficient time. It is theoretically possible, therefore, to introduce a suitable control agent in a single foraging site and eliminate the entire colony.