1983/06/01 by Alan E. Mill · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Plant and animal studies #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Alate #Swarming (honey bee) #Predation #Biological dispersal #Biology #Termitidae #Ecology #Dusk #Zoology #PEST analysis #Botany #Population
paper · doi:10.1080/00222938300770231
openalex publication_date 1983/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Summary The swarming flights of 23 species of termite were observed at three localities within Brazil and data collected on the periodicity of swarms, the predators which attach the exposed termites and the defensive behaviour of the three castes of termites. The principal predators on termites during swarming were ants at ground level and birds in the air. The defensive behaviour of workers and soldiers effectively protected the termite alates from terrestrial predators, but only the low level of light at dawn and dusk protected them from aerial predators. Most of the termites released their alates at the beginning of the rainy season, either at dawn or at dusk and protected them from grounded predators with a ‘blanket’ cordon of workers and soldiers. Three species of the subterranean, soldierless Anoplotermes constructed special launching towers for the release of alates and protected them from predation with these structures. Armitermes euamignathus and Cornitermes cumulans also built launching structures on their nests for alates, but showed the ‘blanket’ behaviour of most termitids in their defence. The towers constructed by the three species of Anoplotermes indicated, by their distribution and number, the density and approximate size of the subterranean colonies which built them. A mean density of 240 nests ha-1 and 258·24 termites m-2 was estimated for Anoplotermes sp I.