Oecophylla smaragdina benutzt künstliche Nistgelegenheiten (Plastikflaschen) im FreilandUm noch einen kleinen Anreiz zu geben, ein paar Blicke in die Zeitschrift "Asian Myrmecology" zu werfen, sei hier noch auf einen weiteren interessanten Artikel hingewiesen. Alle Beiträge kann man als pdf herunterladen!
http://www.asian-myrmecology.org/archiv ... -am06.htmlAsian Myrmecology is a peer-reviewed, yearly journal dedicated to the study of Asian ants. It publishes original refereed research papers on ants in or from Asia and covers all different areas of modern ant research, including:
- Taxonomy
- Biogeography & Distribution
- Ecology
- Ethology
- Applied myrmecology
All contents (see below) are open access .Hier das
abstract einer Arbeit über künstliche Nester für Oecophylla, die im tropischen Anbau sowohl zur biologischen Schädlingsbekämpfung eingesetzt werden, als auch für die Produktion von Larven als Nahrungsmittel:
Joachim Offenberg: The use of artificial nests by weaver ants: A preliminary field observationAbstract: Weaver ants (
Oecophylla spp.) are managed in tropical plantations for their biocontrol of pests and to produce ant larvae as a food source. Main management objectives are to increase ant densities and colony longevity. As weaver ant nests are susceptible to harsh weather, rain storms may decimate populations or destroy colonies. The ants, however, show adaptive nesting behaviour, which may mitigate storm impact. This study tested whether
Oecophylla smaragdina was willing to use plastic bottles as safe artificial nesting sites, and whether adoption of artificial nests was seasonally related to harsh weather. Bottles were used for nesting throughout the stormy rainy season in a pomelo plantation with an open canopy, whereas in a mango plantation with a denser canopy the ants, after initial colonisation, left the bottles again at the end of the rainy season, especially in the calmer part of the plantation. This suggests that exposure to harsh weather triggered the use of artificial nests. It was also found that ants preferred to nest in bottles covered with aluminum foil compared to transparent bottles. These findings document an opportunistic nesting behaviour of weaver ants and suggest that provision of artificial nests may become a future tool in their management.
Keywords:
Oecophylla smaragdina, nesting behaviour, weaver ant management, biological control, entomophagy, ant farming, sustainable pest management
MfG,
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