Byron L. Reid

Nocturnal orientation in the black carpenter antCamponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

SummaryThe black carpenter antCamponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer), a predominantly nocturnal Formicine ant, responds to a hierarchy of visual and tactile cues when orienting along odor trails at night. Under illumination from moonlight or artificial light, workers rely upon these beacons to mediate phototactic orientation. In the absence of moonlight or artificial lights, ants were able to orient visually to terrestrial landmarks. In the absence of all landmarks, save for overhanging tree branches, ants could negotiate shortcuts or make directional changes in response to visual landmarks presented within the tree canopy on a moonless night. When experimental manipulations placed the ants in total darkness, they could no longer negotiate shortcuts and would resort to thigmotactic orientation along structural guidelines to reach a food source. The hierachical organization of these diverse cues in a foraging strategy is discussed, as well as their adaptive significance toC. pennsyhanicus.

Toxicity of fipronil to German and American cockroaches

Topical and oral toxicity of fipronil, compared to chlorpyrifos, was determined for the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), and American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.). Fipronil and Combat bait matrices were evaluated for their attractancies to both species. In the topical toxicity tests, LD50s of fipronil, at 72 h after topical application, were 0.03 and 0.02 μg/g for adult B. germanica and P. americana, respectively. Fipronil was significantly more toxic than topically applied chlorpyrifos (LD50s were 0.06 and 0.16 μg/g for B. germanica and P. americana, respectively). The oral toxicity of fipronil and chlorpyrifos in Petri dish experiments, against both species, was affected by stage (for B. germanica), diet concentration, and feeding assay. Fipronil caused higher mortality of B. germanica than chlorpyrifos in two feeding assays (continuous and abbreviated). Both compounds were equally toxic to adult males of P. americana at all rates. Fipronil caused higher nymphal mortality than chlorpyrifos 48–72 h after exposure in both feeding assays. In large population chamber tests, fipronil bait was more effective and faster in killing P. americana than Raid and Combat. LT50s were 0.8, 2.4, and 7.6 d for fipronil, Raid (a.i. = chlorpyrifos), and Combat (a.i. = hydramethylnon) baits, respectively. Mortality reached 96.5, 93.4, and 84.6%, respectively, at the end of the 14 d test. In the bait attractancy tests, both strains of B. germanica were attracted similarly to fipronil and Combat bait matrices. P. americana were attracted more to fipronil than to Combat bait matrix or to other alternative foods.

Horizontal Transmission of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Imperfect Fungi: Hyphomycetes) and Hydramethylnon Among German Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

Horizontal transmission of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin, and hydramethylnon toxicant among individuals of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), was evaluated in this study. Transmission of hydramethylnon occurred through the feces. Contaminated feces were toxic to other cockroaches when mixed with standard laboratory diet at different ratios. Lethal time (LT50) of the nymphs increased as the proportion of contaminated feces in the healthy laboratory diet was decreased. When cockroaches were fed a diet consisting of hydramethylnon-contaminated feces and a laboratory diet at ratios of 1:0, 1:1, and 1:5, the mortality reached 100% at days 9, 12, and 17, respectively. The mortality was reduced to approximately 80% at a ratio of 1:10. Fifth-stage nymphs exposed to the conidia of M. anisopliae or hydramethylnon toxicant for 6, 12, 24, or 48 h transferred the fungal conidia or the toxicant to healthy nymphs. Rate of mortality increased significantly by incre...

Foraging and spatial dispersion in protein-scavenging workers ofVespula germanica andV. maculifrons (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

A series of experiments on the discovery of meat bait by scavenging workers ofV. germanica andV. maculifrons showed that workers oriented to meats by visual cues and olfactory cues. Scavening workers ofV. germanica andV. maculifrons responded positively to the sight of conspecifics at meat baits; i.e., meat with (confined) wasps received more visits than meat without wasps. This attraction to conspecific workers on meat baits provides evidence of local enhancement, in that the presence of conspecifics at meat bait directs other wasps to a particular spatial locality. Local enhancement by yellowjackets foraging for meat may contribute to the clumped distribution of worker populations noted in studies of workers captured in meat-baited traps. We hypothesize that local enhancement of foraging is a ubiquitous behavior in species of theV. vulgaris species group and may be one attribute explaining their ecological success.

The use of spatial cues for structural guideline orientation inTapinoma sessile andCamponotus pennsylvanicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Camponotus pennsylvanicus(DeGeer) and Tapinoma sessile(Say) exploit structural elements as guide-lines in their topographic orientation. This research documents the response of T. sessileand C. pennsylvanicusto a series of thigmotactic, gravitational, chemotactic, and phototactic cues while utilizing structural guidelines. Adherence to these guidelines is more pronounced on vertical than on horizontal surfaces and more pronounced in darkness than in daylight. Orientation switches from a crestline on the horizontal to a groove on the vertical. Light and odor trails serve an important role as distance cues in structural guideline orientation. The hierarchy of orientation cues and the adaptive significance of these ants exploitation of structural guidelines are discussed.

Variation of ommatidia number as a function of worker size inCamponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

SummaryThe relation of worker size to ommatidia number was examined in the polymorphic antCamponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer). Linear regression described this relationship as:Y = 260.9 + 113.6×; whereYis ommatidia number andX is head width. A log-log regression described this relationship as:Y = 323.5 + 286.9*logX(r2 = 0.98). This analysis indicated an allometric relation of ommatidia number to head width, where ommatidia numbers increase at a slower rate than head width. This relationship is discussed in terms of ethotypes associated with worker morphotypes, and the possible mechanisms regulating polymorphic development.

Evaluation of Control Measures for Black Carpenter Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract Current control methods for the black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer), include the use of remedial and preventative residual sprays as well as toxic baits. We evaluated the acceptance of three baits (Maxforce, Niban, and Baygon) to field colonies of the black carpenter ant in the spring and fall. Maxforce bait granules were more readily accepted than either Niban or Baygon bait granules in the spring. A change in food preference from protein to sugar by the black carpenter ant appeared to reduce the number of Maxforce bait granules removed in the fall, resulting in no differences in bait acceptability. The longevity of Dursban 50W and Tempo 20WP were evaluated in the summer and fall on painted wood panels. Panels aged outside for 15 d under prevailing weather conditions exhibited increased LT50 values. For each sampling period, panels aged on the south face (in the sun) exhibited less insecticidal activity (i.e., large LT50 values) than panels on the north face (shaded; small LT50 values). At each sampling period, Tempo 20WP provided smaller LT50 values than Dursban 50W. Because of changing dietary preferences, our data highlight the importance of using various bait types for carpenter ant control. Moreover, the application of residual spays should be made to locations protected from direct sunlight.