Foraging activity and population estimation of M icrotermes mycophagus D esneux ( I soptera: T ermitidae: M acrotermitinae) in M ultan, P unjab, P akistan

The knowledge of the seasonal foraging activity and the numbers of foragers in a colony would be helpful for designing effective termite baiting programs. The current study presents the seasonal activity of M icrotermes mycophagus   D esneux in a tree plantation in M ultan, P unjab, P akistan, using silk cotton tree wood traps during 2011–2013. The population of M . mycophagus was also estimated using the constant removal method. The number of workers in the underground traps showed a seasonal trend with the highest capture rate occurring during summer and the lowest during winter. The peak in the population (1139 workers/trap) was observed in O ctober after the rainy season. Positive and significant correlation was found between the mean air temperature and the numbers of M . mycophagus workers captured. The constant removal population estimates revealed 16 499–40 265 individuals in the colony of M . mycophagus . Our results suggest that for cost–effective management of the termite species, baiting programs should be started immediately after A ugust when rapid increases in activity of M . mycophagus have been recorded.