Tunneling of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), has been observed in the laboratory with groups of foragers extracted from field colonies or from colonies maintained in the laboratory, but there is little information on tunneling by foragers that are a functional part of a field colony. The objective of this experiment was to observe tunneling by the Formosan subterranean termite in the field and to compare the results to tunneling behavior of the same species observed in laboratory arenas. Two-dimensional foraging arenas constructed of clear acrylic were installed in the field over active foraging sites within an area occupied by a Formosan subterranean termite colony. Separate arenas were set up in the laboratory with 1,500 termites in each. Daily tunneling rate, tunnel morphology, and total amount of tunneling in the field and laboratory arenas were compared.
Species 1: Isoptera Rhinotermitidae Coptotermes formosanus (Formosan subterranean termite)
Keywords: foraging behavior
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