1

STUDIES ON SPECIES COMPOSITION, SEASONAL ABUNDANCE, FOOD PREFERENCES

AND CONTROL OF STRUCTURE-INFESTING ANTS IN STUDENT HOUSINGS IN UNIVERSITI

SAINS MALAYSIA, PULAU PINANG

NORASMAH BINTI BASARI

UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA

2007

2

STUDIES ON SPECIES COMPOSITION, SEASONAL ABUNDANCE, FOOD PREFERENCES

AND CONTROL OF STRUCTURE-INFESTING ANTS IN STUDENT HOUSINGS IN UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA,

PULAU PINANG

by

NORASMAH BINTI BASARI

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science

April 2007

3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, my outmost thanks go to Allah s.w.t for giving me strength to accomplish

my Masters study.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Abu Hassan

Ahmad for his constant guidance, support, advice and for his valuable

suggestions in producing a more solid and compelling study.

I would also like to thank Prof. Chan Lai Keng for assisting me in statistical

analysis. Thank you to En. Hadzri for his help and to Mr. Morita Masayuki and

En. Hassan for sharing their valuable knowledge about ants with me.

A special thanks goes to my entomology laboratory members, Nur Aida, Nurita,

Nor Adzliyana, Noratiny and Wan Zaki for helping me complete the writing of this

dissertation and for sharing all the fun and the good time with me. I am also

greatly indebted to my best friends, Khadijah, Iswarti, Mazniza, and Sharifah who

are always there to help and encourage me.

Last but not least, I also want to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to my

family for helping me at any time and had confidence in me when I doubted

myself and most importantly, I would like to thank my parents, En. Basari Hj.

Yunus and Pn. Siti Saharah Hj. Bakri who are always pray for my success in my

life, for their sacrifice in making me what I am today and for believing in me.

Thank you so much.

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii LIST OF TABLES vi

LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF PLATES ix LIST OF APPENDICES x

ABSTRAK xii ABSTRACT xiv CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Ants. 4

2.1 General biology of ants. 4

2.2 Ants classification. 6

2.2.1 Subfamily Dolichoderinae. 6

2.2.2 Subfamily Formicinae. 7

2.2.3 Subfamily Myrmecinae. 7

2.2.4 Subfamily Ponerinae. 8

2.3 Species characteristics. 8

2.3.1 Camponotus sp. 9

2.3.2 Monomorium sp. 10

2.3.3 Odontoponera sp. 11

2.3.4 Paratrechina longicornis Latreille (1925). 11

2.3.5 Pheidole megacephala Fabricius (1793). 12

2.3.6 Solenopsis geminata Fabricius (1804). 13

2.3.7 Tapinoma melanocephalum Fabricius (1793). 14

2.3.8 Technomyrmex sp. 14

5

2.3.9 Tetramorium sp. 15

2.4 Food and foraging behavior. 16

2.5 Species composition and abundance. 20

2.6 The importance of ants. 22

2.7 Control of structure-infesting ants. 24

CHAPTER 3: SPECIES COMPOSITION, SEASONAL ABUNDANCE AND FOOD PREFERENCES

3.0 Introduction. 30

3.1 Materials and methods. 31

3.1.1 Description of the study site. 31

3.1.2 Duration of study. 32

3.1.3 Foods preparations 34

3.1.4 Data collections. 34

3.1.5 Statictical analyses. 35

3.2 Results. 36

3.2.1 Species composition. 36

3.2.1.1 H13, Bakti Permai building. 36

3.2.1.2 International House building. 48

3.2.2 Seasonal abundance. 54

3.2.2.1 H13, Bakti Permai building. 54

3.2.2.2 International House building. 58

3.2.3 Food preferences of structure-infesting ants. 60

3.2.3.1 H13, Bakti Permai building. 60

3.2.3.2 International House building. 63

3.3 Discussions. 71

3.3.1 Species composition. 71

3.3.2 Seasonal abundance. 74 3.3.3 Food preferences and nutrient changes of structure-.

infesting ants. 77

6

CHAPTER 4: CONTROL OF STRUCTURE-INFESTING ANTS 4.0 Introduction. 80

4.1 Materials and methods. 82

4.1.1 Study sites. 82

4.1.2 Baits preparations. 82

4.1.3 Data collections. 83

4.1.4 Statistical analyses. 85

4.2 Results. 86

4.2.1 PRESTO® 001 Granular Ant Bait (a.i: fipronil 0.001%). 86

4.2.2 Ant species composition before and after treatment with

PRESTO® 001. 87

4.2.3 Confidor® 200SC Insecticide (a.i: imidacloprid 200g/L) 90

4.2.4 Ant species composition before and after treatment with

Confidor® 200SC. 94

4.3 Discussions 97

CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY AND GENERAL DISCUSSION 101

REFERENCES 108

APPENDICES 125

LIST OF PUBLICATION AND PRESENTATION 139

7

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Total number of structure-infesting ants for every

month in the H13, Bakti Permai building.

44

Table 2 Total number of structure-infesting ants for every

month in the International House building.

51

Table 3 The highest abundance of the commonest ant species

over a period of 13 months in the two sites. 56

8

LIST OF FIGURES Figure1 Total number of each species of ants for every floor in

the H13, Bakti Permai building. 46

Figure 2 Mean number of ants for each floor in the

H13, Bakti Permai building. 47

Figure 3 Total number of each species of ants for every floor in

the International House building. 52

Figure 4 Mean number of ants for each floor in the

International House building. 53

Figure 5 Annual changes of the six commonest ant species

abundance in the H13, Bakti Permai building. 57

Figure 6 Annual changes of the three commonest ant species

abundance in the International House building. 59

Figure 7 The comparison of the mean number of ants attracted to the

three types of food in the H13, Bakti Permai building. 62

Figure 8 Nutrient changes of individual ant species in the

H13, Bakti Permai building. 64

Figure 9 The comparison of the mean number of ants attracted to

the three types of food in the International House building. 67

Figure 10 Nutrient changes of individual ant species in the

International House building. 69

Figure 11 Mean percentage of ants before and after treated with

PRESTO® 001. 88

9

Figure 12 Mean percentage of ants for every species before and

after treated with PRESTO® 001 in the H13, Bakti

Permai building. 89

Figure 13 Mean percentage of ants for every species before and

after treated with PRESTO® 001 in the International

House building. 92

Figure 14 Mean percentage of ants before and after treated with

Confidor® 200SC. 93

Figure 15 Mean percentage of ants for every species before and

after treated with Confidor® 200SC in study site A. 95

Figure 16 Mean percentage of ants for every species before and

after treated with Confidor® 200SC in study site B. 96

10

LIST OF PLATES

Plate 1 International House building. 33

Plate 2 H13, Bakti Permai building. 33

Plate 3 Camponotus sp. 39

Plate 4

Plate 5

Plate 6

Plate 7

Plate 8

Plate 9

Plate 10

Plate 11

Plate 12

Plate 13

Plate 14

Plate 15

M. destructor

M. floricola M. pharaonis Odontoponera sp. P. longicornis P. megacephala S. geminata T. melanocephalum Technomyrmex sp. Tetramorium sp. A typical plan of the H13, Bakti Permai building. A typical plan of the International House building.

39

39

40 40 40 41 41 41 42 42 43 50

11

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Normality test of total number of ants in the

H13, Bakti Permai. 125

Appendix 2 Normality test of total number of ants in the

International House. 125

Appendix 3 Spearman’s rho correlation test between monthly

abundance of the six commonest ant species and

temperature and relative humidity in the

H13, Bakti Permai. 126

Appendix 4 Spearman’s rho correlation test between monthly

abundance of the three commonest ant species

and temperature and relative humidity in the

International House. 127

Appendix 5 ANOVA test of different species of ants caught by the

different type of food in the H13, Bakti Permai. 127

Appendix 6 ANOVA test of different species of ants caught by the

different type of food in the International House. 128

Appendix 7 Tukeys HSD multiple comparison of total number of

ants caught by the different type of food in the H13,

Bakti Permai (two-way ANOVA). 128

Appendix 8 Tukeys HSD multiple comparison of total number of

ants caught by the different type of food in the

International House building (two-way ANOVA). 129

12

Appendix 9 ANOVA test of percentage of ants before and after

treatment in the H13, Bakti Permai building. 129

Appendix 10 ANOVA test of percentage of ants before and after

treatment in the International House. 130

Appendix 11 A t-test analysis between control and treated building

after 30 days of treatment (PRESTO®). 130

Appendix 12 Kruskal-Wallis test of percentage of every ant species

before and after treatment in the H13, Bakti Permai. 131

Appendix 13 ANOVA test of percentage of P. longicornis before and

after treatment in the International House. 133

Appendix 14 A t-test of percentage of ants between control and

treated building after 21 days in study site A . 133

Appendix 15 A t-test of percentage of ants between control and

treated building after 21 days in study site B. 133

Appendix 16 Kruskal-Wallis test of percentage of ants before and

after treatment in study site A. 134

Appendix 17 Kruskal-Wallis test of percentage of ants before and

after treatment in study site B. 134

Appendix 18 Mann-Whitney test of percentage of ants after treatment between

study site A and B. 135

13

Appendix 19 Kruskal-Wallis test of percentage of every ant species

before and after treatment in study site A. 135

Appendix 20 Kruskal-Wallis test of percentage of every ant species

before and after treatment in study site B. 137

14

KAJIAN KE ATAS KOMPOSISI SPESIES, KELIMPAHAN BERMUSIM, PEMILIHAN MAKANAN DAN KAWALAN TERHADAP SEMUT DI DALAM BANGUNAN DI KAWASAN KEDIAMAN PELAJAR DI UNIVERSITI SAINS

MALAYSIA, PULAU PINANG

ABSTRAK

Kajian mengenai komposisi spesies, kelimpahan bermusim, pemilihan

makanan dan kawalan terhadap semut yang menginfestasi bangunan kediaman

pelajar telah dijalankan di Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang. Kajian ini

telah dijalankan selama 13 bulan bermula dari bulan Januari 2005 sehingga

Januari 2006. Bangunan H13, Desasiswa Bakti Permai setinggi 8 tingkat dan

Rumah Antarabangsa yang setinggi 6 tingkat dipilih sebagai tempat kajian.

Sebelas spesies semut telah dijumpai di dalam bangunan yang tergolong

dalam 9 genera dan 4 subfamili. Spesies-spesies tersebut adalah Camponotus

sp., Monomorium destructor (Jerdon) , Monomorium floricola (Jerdon),

Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus), Odontoponera sp., Paratrechina longicornis

(Latreille), Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius), Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius),

Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius), Tetramorium sp. dan Technomyrmex sp.

Bangunan H13, Bakti Permai merekodkan jumlah diversiti semut yang tinggi

berbanding Rumah Antarabangsa. Spesies semut yang mendominasi bangunan

adalah P. longicornis dan M. pharaonis. Bilangan semut yang paling banyak

didapati di dalam bangunan H13, Bakti Permai adalah di aras tanah dan di aras

5 bagi Rumah Antarabangsa.

Kelimpahan bermusim bagi semua semut yang dijumpai adalah berbeza

mengikut spesies dan tempat kajian. Kelimpahan tertinggi bagi spesies semut

15

yang mendominasi bangunan H13, Bakti Permai iaitu M. pharaonis dicatatkan

pada bulan April manakala di dalam bangunan Rumah Antarabangsa, spesies

semut yang sama mencatatkan kelimpahan tertinggi pada bulan May. Bagi P.

longicornis pula, iaitu spesies semut yang mendominasi bangunan Rumah

Antarabangsa, jumlah kelimpahan tertinggi juga dicatatkan pada bulan May.

Walau bagaimanapun, kelimpahan bermusim bagi setiap spesies semut adalah

tidak berkaitan dengan suhu di dalam bangunan dan kelembapan relatif kecuali

bagi 3 spesies semut iaitu P. longicornis, P. megacephala dan Technomyrmex

sp. Ketiga-tiga spesies semut ini yang didapati di dalam bangunan H13, Bakti

Permai menunjukkan korelasi positif dengan kelembapan relatif (p<0.05).

Keputusan bagi pemilihan makanan membuktikan semua spesies semut

lebih menggemari jem strawberi yang kaya dengan karbohidrat berbanding ikan

bilis dan kuning telur (p<0.05). Walau bagaimanapun, semut menukar jenis

makanan yang diambil dari makanan berkarbohidrat kepada makanan berprotein

dan juga lipid apabila jumlah semut yang tidak matang di dalam koloni adalah

tinggi.

PRESTO® 001 (a.i: fipronil 0.001%) dalam bentuk formulasi umpan

didapati lebih berkesan untuk digunakan dalam pengawalan semut jika

dibandingkan dengan Confidor® 200SC Insecticide (a.i: imidacloprid 200g/L)

dalam bentuk cecair berkepekatan. Walaupun kesannya agak lambat

disebabkan kepekatan bahan kimia yang sangat rendah, namun ia telah

mengurangkan jumlah P. longicornis di dalam bangunan Rumah Antarabangsa

selepas 30 hari kawalan dijalankan (p<0.05).

16

STUDIES ON SPECIES COMPOSITION, SEASONAL ABUNDANCE, FOOD PREFERENCES AND CONTROL OF

STRUCTURE-INFESTING ANTS IN STUDENT HOUSINGS IN UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA, PULAU PINANG

ABSTRACT

A study on species composition, seasonal abundance, food preferences

and control of structure-infesting ants was carried out in students housing in

Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang. The study was conducted for a period of

13 months began on January 2005 until January 2006. Two multi-level buildings

were chosen in this study namely H13, Desasiswa Bakti Permai and International

House, an 8 and 6-storey building respectively.

Eleven ant species were found belonging to 9 genera and 4 subfamilies

inhabiting in the buildings and they were Camponatus sp., Monomorium

destructor (Jerdon), Monomorium floricola (Jerdon), Monomorium pharaonis

(Linnaeus.), Odontoponera sp., Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille), Pheidole

megacephala (Fabricius), Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius), Tapinoma

melanocephalum (Fabricius), Tetramorium sp. and Technomyrmex sp. H13,

Bakti Permai building recorded the highest diversity of ants when compared to

International House. The dominant ant species in the building were P. longicornis

and M. pharaonis. The highest numbers of ants were found on the ground floor in

H13, Bakti Permai while the highest number of ants recorded in International

House was on the fifth floor.

17

All of the ants’ species were abundant only during certain months and

depend on the study site. Highest abundance of the dominant ant species, M.

pharaonis, in the H13, Bakti Permai was recorded in April while in the

International House, this species recorded a highest abundance in May.

Paratrechina longicornis which dominated the International House also showed a

highest abundance in May. However, the abundance of the ants in the buildings

was not correlated with temperature inside the building or relative humidity with

exception to P. longicornis, P. megacephala and Technomyrmex sp. Only these

species of ants found in the H13, Bakti Permai was positively correlated with

relative humidity (p<0.05).

A result of food preferences revealed that the strawberry jam, a

carbohydrate-base food was the most attractive food to all species of ants when

compared to anchovy and egg yolk (p<0.05). However, the nutrient needs of the

ants fluctuated during the study period. The ants changed their food preferences

from carbohydrate-base food to protein-base and lipid-base food when the

numbers of the broods in the colony were high.

PRESTO® 001 (a.i: fipronil 0.001%), a bait formulation, was found to be

effective to control ants when compared to Confidor® 200SC Insecticide (a.i:

imidacloprid), a suspension concentrates. Although the use of this bait takes

time due to its low concentration, this bait decreased the number of P.

longicornis in the International House building after 30 days post-treatment

(p<0.05).

18

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Ants are the dominant group of social insects related to bees and wasps.

The term ‘social’ refers to the relationships among members of the same species

(Michener and Michener 1951). Ants are increasingly being studied by

entomologist for two reasons. Firstly, ants are a dominant part of many

ecosystems; and secondly, their social organization serves as a model system

for the studying of numerous ecological and evolutionary questions (Holldobler

and Wilson 1990). Except for the polar region, they flourish on all land areas on

the earth, from subarctic tundra to equatorial rainforest, from swamp to harsh

desert, from sea coast to great altitude and from deep in the soil to the tips of the

highest trees. They are among the most widespread and abundant of animals

(Bolton 1994; Tobin 1994).

Ants are one of the most common insects found around us. All pest

control technicians are involved with ant problems at some point in their career –

most commonly because ants forage or nest inside structures. Ants are

interesting organisms that should be studied to better understand their unique

behaviors and their roles in the earth’s ecosystems. They can also be pest,

however. Worker ants foraging for food and water become a concern when they

infest food or other items in the home. Although most ants consume a wide

variety of foods, certain species prefer some types of foods and some even

change their preferences over time.

19

Ants in an urban environment are principally nuisance pest (Reimer et al.

1990). The activities of ants may interfere with those of man in four directions –

first, through their feeding habits; second, through their habit of appropriating

certain portions of the earth as nesting sites; third, through their aggressive, i. e,

stinging and biting habits (Wheeler 1965) and fourth, because the ants can be a

vector of pathogen. Fire ants, (Solenopsis sp.) and others may sting or bite

people and animals. Carpenter ants, (Camponatus sp.) tunnel into structural

wood. Mound-building ants mar the appearance of lawns and landscaped areas.

Pharaoh ant, (Monomorium pharaonis) can transmit over a dozen pathogens

such as Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp. (Smith

and Whitman 1992; Nickerson et al. 2003). Pharaoh ant can also get into wounds

and dressings in hospitals as well as in sterile supplies and intravenous fluid

apparatuses. It’s small size and ability to chew through many materials makes it

a serious infection hazard in hospitals and residences (Reimer et al. 1990). A

recent study by Olaya and Chacón (2001), found that the ghost ant, (Tapinoma

melanocephalum) was also capable of transporting seven types of bacteria, such

as Enterobacter cloacae and Staphylococcus sp.

Since many areas in Malaysia have become urbanized, many people from

rural areas migrate to urban areas. The rapid development of urban areas has

inadvertently contributed to the increase in numbers of pests such as rodents,

cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, termites and household ants.

20

In Penang, Malaysia, ants are the most abundant household pests after

mosquitoes and cockroaches as reported by Lee et al. (1999). Structure-infesting

ants are the cause of frequent pest problems in urban environments because of

their violation of esthetic and economic thresholds, and their potential influences

on human health (Hölldobler and Wilson 1990; Lee 2002). Therefore, many

researches should be done to understand the behaviour of the house-infesting

ants and structure-infesting ants in order to eliminate their nest from the

premises. Many researches of the ants’ behaviour and also a control of structure-

infesting ants have been done in a laboratory conditions. Little is known of their

behaviour and control in the field conditions. Thus, the objectives of this study

were:

To survey the species composition of structure-infesting ants in a multi-level

building.

To study the differences in the species composition for each level of a multi-

level building.

To study the seasonal abundance over a period of thirteen months and the

effect of biotic and abiotic factors on their abundance.

To study the food preferences and nutrient changes of structure-infesting ants

in the field.

To control structure-infesting ants in field conditions.

21

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Ants.

Ants belong to the insect order Hymenoptera and the family Formicidae.

There are about 20,000 living ant species, of which some 9,000 to 10,000 have

been described (Bolton 1994; Hölldobler and Wilson 1990). In Malaysia, a

preliminary survey of ants in Bario, Kelabit Highlands Sarawak found a total of 71

genera of ants. In this study, subfamily Formicinae had the highest number of

species (29) represented by 6 genera and they were Camponatus, Cladomyrma,

Colobopsis, Eurenolepsis, Oceophylla and Polyrhachis (Gunik 1999). A more

recent study by Floren et al. (2005) found a total of 640 species of ants from 81

genera and 8 subspecies in Poring Hot Spring (Kinabalu Park), Sabah. Their

abundance and stability make ants one of the most important groups of insects in

ecosystems (Wang et al. 2000).

2.1 General biology of ant.

Ants undergo complete metamorphosis, passing through the egg, larva,

pupa and adult stages. The egg is tiny, almost microscopic in size. The larva is

legless and grub-like, very soft and whitish in color. It is also helpless and

depends totally on workers for food and care. The pupa looks somewhat like the

adult but is soft, unpigmented and immobile. Some are enclosed in a cocoon and

some are not. A newly-emerged adult requires several days for its body to

harden and darken.

22

Ants differ from most insects in that they are all based on a caste, or social

class system, similar to termites and certain bees and wasps. They live in large

cooperative groups called colonies. All the members in the colony have their own

job. Adults take care of the young and are divided into castes or specialized

groups that take care of certain tasks. Ants have reproductive castes (queens

and males) and nonreproductive castes (workers).

A queen is generally the largest individual in the colony. She has wings

until her mating flight after which she removes them and establishes a new

colony. Mating flights usually occurs in the afternoon soon after a rainy period.

The primary function of the queen is reproduction, but after establishing a new

nest she may also care for and feed the first brood of the workers. A newly mated

queen lays about a dozen eggs. Once she has produced her first brood, she

becomes an ‘egg laying machine’, cleaned and fed by her offspring. She may live

for many years until replaced by a daughter queen. Some ant species have more

than one queen in the nest.

Male ants are generally winged and usually keep their wings until death.

Apparently, the male ant’s only function is to mate with the queen. Once he does,

he dies, generally within two weeks. Males are produced in old, mature colonies.

The workers are sterile, wingless females who build and repair the nest,

care for the brood, defend the nest, forage outside for food and feed both

23

immature and adult ants, including the queen. In many ant species, the worker

class is further subdivided into sub-castes. These may include workers of

different sizes, as well as large-headed, strong-jawed ants called soldiers, which

are the defenders of the community (Simon 1962).

Ants can recognize their colony members through the ‘chemical cues’, a

subset of overall colony odor. These cues can be derived from individual, queen

and/or workers neural imprint or sensory template. If cues of intruders match the

template of the resident, no aggression occurs however, agonistic behaviours

may ensue if they do not match (Meer et al. 1990).

2.2 Ants classification.

Ants can be identified from subfamily to genera and finally to the species.

Only 4 subfamilies are important in this study and they are Dolichoderinae,

Formicinae, Myrmicinae and Ponerinae.

2.2.1 Subfamily Dolichoderinae.

Species of Dolichoderinae can be found in most regions of the world and

in all major habitats. There are about 1000 described species and subspecies

placed 22 genera world-wide (Shattuck and Barnett 2001). Most species of

Dolichoderinae are general predators or scavengers. In these ants the petiole is

composed of a single segment, the sting is absent and the tip of the gaster is slit-

like and without a circular opening (an acidopore). Some genera that are

24

important in this subfamily include Bothriomyrmex, Dolichoderus, Iridomyrmex,

Linepithema, Tapinoma and Technomyrmex.

2.2.2 Subfamily Formicinae.

Species of Formicinaes are found world-wide, with over 3700 described

species and subspecies and 49 genera (Shattuck and Barnett 2001). Most are

general scavengers, foraging on the ground or on vegetation and can be found at

all times of the day and night. They are generally active and fast moving and

many will defend their nests vigorously, attacking intruders with their large

mandibles and formic acid sprays. This ants can be recognized by having a

single petiole, the sting is absent and the tip of the gaster has a small circular

opening (an acidopore) which is often surrounded by a ring of short hairs.

Anoplolepis, Camponatus, Oechophylla and Paratrechina are some of the

important genera in this subfamily.

2.2.3 Subfamily Myrmecinae.

Myrmicines occur throughout the world in all major habitats except in artic

and antarctic regions. They are the largest subfamily of ants with over 6700

species and subspecies and 155 genera (Shattuck and Barnett 2001).

Myrmicines range greatly in size, with the smallest about 1mm long and the

largest up to 10mm. Workers can be found foraging at all times of the day and

night, sometimes in large numbers. Species of Myrmecines have two distinc

segments, the petiole and postpetiole that attached the mesosoma to the gaster.