Formosan Entomologist (2001) 21, 353-363

Lin Chang, Err-Lieh Hsu and Wen-Jer Wu (2001)
Study on the phototaxis of alates of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Formosan Entomologist 21 (4), 353-363
Abstract: A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the phototaxis of alates of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki towards three different-colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and to elucidate the extent of their phototropic wavelength. Studies were also conducted to determine the effects of three different kinds of street lights, a MetalArc metal halide lamp, a high-pressure sodium lamp, and a mercury lamp, on attracting swarming C. formosanus. Based on the results of attraction by the LED color reflected from a water surface, the numbers of alates attracted by blue (367~583 nm) and green (525~648 nm) were significantly greater than that by red (600~733 nm). Results of the number of alates attracted by the three different street lights showed that the MetalArc metal halide lamp caught the most followed by the mercury lamp. When all three lamps were covered by a UV-filter plastic membrane, numbers of alates caught by the above two lamps were significantly reduced, especially for the MetalArc metal halide lamp, for which the reduction was most noticeable. The number caught by the MetalArc metal halide lamp was even less than that by the mercury lamp. The fewest number of alates was caught by the high-pressure sodium lamp among the three street lamps regardless of whether or not it was covered with a UV-filter plastic membrane. Results of this field study were consistent with these of the laboratory study. This study further shows that differences in the three street lamps in attracting swarming alates were highly significant. Also, UV light significantly influenced the attractiveness to swarming alates. When the spectrographs of the above LEDs and UV-LED (350~425 nm) were superimposed with those of the three street lamps in conjunction with LEDs for both laboratory and field tests, it was apparent that lights with a shorter wavelength had a better effect in attracting swarming alates of C. formosanus.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Wen-Jer Wu, Err-Lieh Hsu

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
pheromones/attractants/traps

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Coptotermes formosanus