Research ArticleOpen Access

Effect of Sub Lethal Concentrations on Population Size of Termites Odontotermes Obesus (Rambur) and Coptotermes Heimi (Wasmann) Under Laboratory and Field Conditions

Volume 3 - Issue 1

**Ayesha Ahetisham*¹, Hina Ashraf¹, Mohammad Afzal¹ and Khalid Z Rasib²**

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- ¹Department of Zoology, University of the Punjab, Pakistan
- ^1,2Department of Biological Science, Forman Christian College University, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: Khalid Rasib, Department of Biological Science, Forman Christian College University, Lahore 54600, Pakistan

Received: February 28, 2018; Published: March 12, 2018

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.03.000843

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Abstract

When termites Odontotermes obesus (Rambur) and Coptotermes heimi (Wasmann) were treated with toxicants using imidacloprid and fipronil at fixed sub lethal concentration of 0.3ppm and different group size (10, 25, 50, 100, 125, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500), then results revealed that greater the group size of the termite, a significantly (P<0.05) less mortality was observed. Such observation could be interpreted as resulting from a group effect or socially facilitated behavior. More generally, a group effect, or socially facilitated behavior, could be invoked: individuals may modulate their behavior in response to the presence of other group members through omnipresent signals or cues (by omnipresent signals, we mean signals that do not result from specific events in space or time).

Keywords: Coptotermes heimi; Group size; Odontotermes obesus, fipronil; imidacloprid; Sub Lethal; Concentration