Abstract
Termites are economically-important structural pests, costing residents of Hawaii over $100 million annually. On Oahu, the last published termite swarming survey occurred from 1969 to 1971, and the last termite hand-collection survey occurred from 1998 to 2000. To contribute data on termite occurrences on Oahu, a light-trap survey took place from February 2011 to September 2012, and a hand-collection survey occurred from September to November 2012. Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, swarming was compared over the duration of the study, finding peak swarming in May 2011. C. formosanus alate activity density was regressed with environmental factors, finding a negative correlation with average wind speed and a positive correlation with average rainfall. Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) alates were observed in April, June, and July 2011 and in June 2012. Four species of termites were found in the hand-collection survey of 44 sites: Incisitermes immigrans (Snyder) (n = 8/44), C. formosanus (n = 2/44), Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light (n = 1/44), and Neotermes sp. (n = 1/44). This study contributes to distribution data for termite species on Oahu and records alate activity for two important termite pests.
Highlights
Termites (Blattodea; formerly Isoptera) are social consumers of cellulose and lignocellulose found in dead wood, grass, microepiphytes, leaf litter, and sometimes cultivated fungi [1]
Higa and Tamashiro [31] found similar peaks in swarming during 1969 and with large numbers of C. formosanus alates swarming from April to July
The previous study [20] found N. connexus termites where the current study found C. formosanus
Summary
Termites (Blattodea; formerly Isoptera) are social consumers of cellulose and lignocellulose found in dead wood, grass, microepiphytes, leaf litter, and sometimes cultivated fungi [1]. 3000 species of termites have been described, most having a tropical and temperate distribution [1]. Termite presence and activities create favorable conditions for primary producers, including maintaining soil pH, increasing water retention, mediating decomposition and nutrient cycling, and creating surface areas suitable for microbial colonization [2,3]. They are an important food source for a variety of animals, such as birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, including humans [4]
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