Seasonal prevalence of queens and males in colonies of tawny crazy ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Florida
Abstract
The tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is an invasive ant from South America with overwhelming populations that invade structures and overrun landscapes. To contribute to the development of biologically based control strategies for this ant, the seasonal prevalence of queens, males, and brood within colonies of N. fulva was determined from monthly collections of colonies located in north central Florida. The average number of queens per colony was significantly greater in the winter and spring than summer and fall. The fall and winter male counts were significantly higher than the other 2 seasons. Brood was most prevalent in the spring and fall and significantly greater than the brood collected in winter. Comparisons of queen, male, and brood to worker ratios generally had similar results to the average counts of queens and males and brood volume per season. The seasonal fluctuations in levels of queens, males, and brood reflect the winter coalescing of colonies into larger, permanent nest sites, and the summer dispersal of smaller colonies into transient nest sites located throughout landscapes.
Sumario
La hormiga loca, Nylanderia fulva Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), es una hormiga invasora de América del Sur con poblaciones abrumadoras que invaden toda clase de estructuras y de campos. Para contribuir al desarrollo de estrategias de control biológicas para esta hormiga, se determinó la prevalencia estacional de las reinas, machos y crías dentro de las colonias de N. fulva a partir de colecciones mensuales de colonias ubicadas en el centro norte de la Florida. El número promedio de reinas por colonia fue significativamente mayor en el invierno y la primavera que en el verano y otoño. El conteo de los machos en el otoño e invierno fue significativamente más alto que las otras 2 temporadas. La cría fue más prevalente en la primavera y el otoño y significativamente mayor que la cría recolectada en el invierno. Las comparaciones de las proporciones de reinas, machos y cría por trabajador en general tuvieron resultados similares al promedio del conteo de las reinas y machos y el volumen de cría por temporada. Las fluctuaciones estacionales en los niveles de reinas, machos y crías reflejan la fusión invernal de las colonias en sitios de nido más grandes y permanentes, y la dispersión en verano de colonias más pequeñas en sitios de nido transitorios ubicados a lo largo del campo.
Key Words: Nylanderia fulva; queens; seasonal polydomy; colony movement; seasonal phenology
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