Naturalization and Control of Coptotermes gestroi (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) in a Taiwanese Forest.

Published Date

J Econ Entomol. 2016 Mar 25. pii: tow050. [Epub ahead of print]

Title 

Naturalization and Control of Coptotermes gestroi (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) in a Taiwanese Forest.

Author 

Chiu CI1, Yeh HT2, Tsai MJ3, Li HF4.

Abstract

Coptotermes gestroi(Wasmann), an invasive termite species in Taiwan, has been a major structural pest in southwestern Taiwan.C. gestroiwas recently reported to have infested living trees in a Taiwanese forest, showing its potential of becoming an invasive forest pest in Taiwan. To determine whetherC. gestroihave naturalized in the forests, we monitored their dispersal flights and estimated their colony development status on the basis of their worker and soldier morphology. The results showed that matureC. gestroicolonies occurred in forest, indicating thatC. gestroihas naturalized. The colony sizes ofC. gestroiwere estimated using a triple mark-release-recapture method. The three studied colonies contained 0.12-0.20 million individuals, which was smaller than that reported in previous studies conducted in urban environments. We speculate thatC. gestroipopulation is suppressed by ants and another dominant termite species,Odontotermes formosanus(Shiraki). Colony elimination was achieved four months after employing termite baits for controlling the three colonies ofC. gestroiin forest. In summary, althoughC. gestroihave naturalized in Taiwan, their further expansion in the forest has likely been restricted by ants and other termite species. Termite baits can be a practical option for controllingC. gestroiin the forests.

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For further details log on website :

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27016598