Abstract
We measured the repellent effects of plant resins against the weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina. The resins were the sticky bands of the dwarf honeybees, Apis florea and A. andreniformis, propolis of the Western honeybee, A. mellifera and the nest entrance tubes of the stingless bees, Tetrigona apicalis, Lepidotrigona terminata, and Tetragonula collina. A bioassay was developed for testing the effects of these resins in field experiments by placing them along natural foraging pathways of ants’ nests. A repellency index was generated to quantify this bioactivity. The sticky bands of dwarf honeybees and propolis of A. mellifera were significantly more repellent against O. smaragdina than were the entrance tube resins of the stingless bees. Nonetheless, the diverse, viscid and adhesive resins employed by these bees constitute a generally effective first-line of defense against depredations of a formidable adversary, the weaver ants.
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