Ants (Formicidae) and their predatory conduct in relation to biological control in District Wardha, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Ants are scavengers and predators in several agricultural crop fields. There is a growing interest in ant predatory behaviour in agricultural fields, although the practical applications are limited. The Vidarbha region includes District Wardha, which has amazing agricultural land. In the present study, the predatory behaviour of ants on pest of crop field in district Wardha has been studied. Soybean, cotton, maize, gram, wheat and pigeon pea are principal crops of the region. There are number of insect pest (Lepidoptera) which infest to crop. The ants positively impact on agricultural system as biological control agents. The predatory ants Tapinoma, Pheidole, Crematogaster and Componotus control the pest population in crop field. The method of controlling pests by employing naturally occurring ant species to reject inputof chemical pesticide must be continued to save environment.