Preliminary Study into the Occurrence and Diversity of Arboreal Ants in Three Differently Aged Oil Palm Fields at Kusi

The seasonality and relative abundance of arboreal ant species were studied in the oil palm plantations of CSIR-OPRI at Kusi in order to identify the different arboreal ant species in the oil palm canopy and their possible interaction with other fauna and flora. Chemical knockdown and field observation and were used in the data collection. Chemical knockdown study was used to collect data on the relative abundance of the ants with application of a synthetic pyrethroid. Field observation was used to study the nesting behaviour, types of nests and where they were built as well as the interaction between the ant species. The fields which were of ages of 8, 11 and 14 years were one hectare containing 143 palms. Chemical knockdown and ant colony studies revealed higher abundance of arboreal ant species on the 11 years followed by the 8 years and 14 years fields in that order. Oecophylla longinoda was abundant on the 11-and 14-year-old fields while Crematogaster sp. was the most abundant species on the 8-year old fields. Relatively high numbers of the ant species were encountered in the dry months of study. Positive interaction indicated coexistence between O. longinoda and Crematogaster sp. Interaction between Crematogaster sp. and Tetramorium sp. was antagonistic. Similarly, O. longinoda and Tetramorium sp. were antagonistic to each other. The high abundance and diversity hold promise for the potential use of these ant species as biocontrol agents in an integrated pest management system for the management of the oil palm leaf miner.