Ants
- In cashew plantations of ICAR-DCR, India, foraging activity of 49 ants species belonging to 24 genera and 7 subfamilies were recorded.
- Few ants species are predators of several pests of cashew, and some species feed nectar on extra floral nectarines, while some species tend sucking pests like aphids, mealy bugs, scale insects for honey dew.
- Myrmicinae ants were most dominant comprising 22 species followed by Formicinae with 13 species while, among Aenictinae and Dorylinae, only single species was found.
- Old cashew plantations were characterized by Oecophylla smaragdina, followed by Anoplolepis gracillipes, while, Camponotus compressus and sericeus were dominant in young and medium aged plantations. Pit fall trap collection consisted mostly of Odontomachus haematodus, Lophomyrmex quadrispinosus, Technomyrmex albipes, Myrmicaria brunnea, Diacamma sp., C. compressus and C. sericeus.
- During flowering and fruiting period of cashew, foraging of up to 10 ant species was seen on the same tree at a time.
- Activities of most ant species were predominant during winter and summer, which coincides with flowering and fruiting period of cashew (December–May), while during heavy down pour of south west monsoon, activities of only 10 species were seen.
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