EFFECT OF 2 ANT SPECIES (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) ON THE FORAGING ANDSURVIVAL OF THE FORMOSAN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE (ISOPTERA, RHINOTERMITIDAE)

We examined the effect of 2 ant species, the bigheaded ant, Pheidole m egacephala (F.), and Ochetellus glaber (Mayr), on the Formosan subterr anean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. We also examined how di fferences in the proportion of termite soldiers affected the susceptib ility of C. formosanus to predation by P. megacephala. In sand-filled containers, C, formosanus was more vulnerable to predation by P. megac ephala than by O. glaber. However, the presence of ants of either spec ies caused substantial mortality of termite soldiers. P. megacephala w as much more invasive of termite galleries than O. glaber. Termites ex posed to P. megacephala suffered greater mortality compared with contr ols, regardless of worker to soldier ratio. However, there was no diff erence in termite mortality among replicates with different worker to soldier ratios. In the absence of sand, both ant species caused 100% m ortality of termites after 1 wk of exposure.