Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

11. Red ant

11. Red ant-Oecophylla smaragdina Fab. ( Formicidae : Isoptera)

Damage

• The worker ants stitch together the terminal leaves with silk thread in the form of nests which remain green.
• The ant distributes the aphids, mealy bug and scales on different parts of the tree thus helping to spread their infestation.
• It gives annoyance to person who climbs up the trees.




Bionomics

• A colony of red ant has one queen, a number of soldiers, and two kinds of workers.
  
• Egg, larva, pupae are housed separately.
• The eggs are covered with mucilage.
• The egg period is 4-8 days. There are three larval instars.
• The pupa is stored in any where and has duration of 5-7 days.
• The ant is carnivorus feeding on flies, moths, beetles, and caterpillars.
Management

• Manage red ants if harvesting is found very difficult by using neem oil 30 ml /liter. Do not eradicate or control red ants.