AGGRESSION AND PREDATORY BEHAVIOUR OF WEAVER ANTS (Oecophylla smaragdina) TOWARDS DIFFERENT PREY

Patrick Tobechukwu Duru, Lukman Idowu Gambari, Kumara Thevan, Hasber Salim

Abstract


Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are naturally aggressive and highly territorial insects, renowned for their ability to defend colonies and prey upon a wide range of pest species. Their predatory and defensive behaviours make them valuable agents for biological control in oil palm plantations, where pests such as Metisa plana (bagworms) pose a major threat to crop productivity. However, the extensive use of chemical pesticides and the harvesting of these ants for human consumption have significantly reduced their populations in plantation ecosystems, thereby limiting their effectiveness as natural pest regulators. This study investigates the aggressive and predatory behaviours of O. smaragdina against M. plana in oil palm plantations to assess their potential role in biological control. Three different sites in northern Peninsular Malaysia, designated as Site A, Site B, and Site C, were used for the experiments. Aggression and predation assays were performed using Metisa plana (bagworms), Tenebrio molitor (mealworms), and Acheta domesticus (crickets) as prey. Ant behavioural responses were systematically observed and recorded at five-minute intervals throughout the 72-hour experimental period. Colonies of O. smaragdina exhibited the highest levels of aggression and predation towards bagworms compared with mealworms and crickets. Observed aggressive behaviours included biting and coordinated group attacks, with colonies from Site C exhibiting the most intense responses. These findings demonstrate that both food type and habitat influence the aggression and predatory performance of O. smaragdina. The results highlight the potential of this species as an effective biological control agent within integrated pest management (IPM) programmes, particularly in oil palm ecosystems.


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