Alates of the Eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) were collected over two flight seasons (2002 and 2004) and flown on flight mills. Data were collected to test if alate mass, colony origin, or gender influenced flight speed. Flight speed ranged from 3.14 to 69.12 cm s−1 and the maximum distance flown by an alate was 458.3 m. Alate mass (P = 0.9406), gender (P = 0.3976), colony origin (P = 0.1244), and the interaction of gender and colony (P = 0.7093) did not significantly influence flight speed. Additionally, an electronic counting device was used to provide instantaneous flight speeds and allowed flight speed to be modeled during acceleration, cruising, and deceleration periods of flight. Mean (±SEM) flight speeds in 2004 were 20.64 (±2.21) cm s−1 (n = 13) for males and 17.76 cm s−1 (n = 1) for the single female flown, falling within the range of the 2002 values.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank M. J. Tanley and Yongyu Xu for expert technical assistance during the course of these studies. Thanks are also given to Dunlun Song and Xueyou Hu for their assistance in alate collections during the 2004 studies. The assistance of J. R. B. Lighton, B. Joos, and R. Turner in constructing the flight mill speed device is greatly appreciated. The input of two anonymous reviewers, as well as J. K. Grace (University of Hawaii), P. D. Gerard (Mississippi State University), and J. E. Mulrooney (USDA Forest Service) in improving earlier drafts of this manuscript is appreciated. These studies were supported in part by USDA Forest Service agreement SRS 02-CR-11330130-212 with the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology at Auburn University.
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Shelton, T.G., Hu, X.P., Appel, A.G. et al. Flight Speed of Tethered Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Alates. J Insect Behav 19, 115–128 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-005-9012-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-005-9012-1