Influence of Brood on the Nutritional Preferences of the Tropical Ant Species, Pheidole megacephala (F.) and Ochetellus glaber (Mayr)

Abstract

The influence of brood on the nutritional preferences of two ant pests, Pheidole megacephala (F.) and Ochetellus glaber (Mayr), was examined. Both ant species preferred fruit fly pupae and diamondback moth larvae to tuna and peanut butter. The foraging rates of O. glaber for proteins and carbohydrates depended upon both the food type and the amount of brood present. When O. glaber foragers were presented with a choice of tuna (a less preferred source of protein) and sucrose, the foraging rate was always greater on sucrose, regardless of the presence of brood. However, when ants were presented with fly pupae (a more preferred source of protein) and sucrose, the foraging rate on pupae was greater than on sucrose for colonies containing brood and the foraging rate on protein and sucrose was similar for colonies without brood. The foraging rate of P. megacephala for proteins and carbohydrates depended upon the type of protein, but was not affected by the presence of brood.