The species present, and the frequencies and intensities of termite attack on 600 paper baits exposed at the soil surface were compared over three seasonal exposures and between two savanna sites of contrasting vegetation structure in northern Australia. Eleven species were recorded, with Microcerotermes nervosus and Schedorhinotermes actuosus comprising 43% and 27% of collections respectively. The most commonly sampled species nest underground or build epigeal mounds and are known to feed on sound and decaying wood. Changes in species dominance occurred between seasons and the two forest types. In both vegetation types, the number of species active and the frequency of attack increased with the duration of bait exposure and decreased in the order: transitional > wet > dry. Bait consumption was greater in the site with higher canopy cover, and did not differ significantly between seasons. No direct relationships were noted between rainfall recorded at the sites and species richness, frequency and intensity of attack on baits. We recommend exposure of paper baits for at least 2 mo during the transitional period as the optimal protocol for sampling at the time of greatest activity and diversity of those species within the guild of wood-feeding species regularly attracted to paper baits.

A basic study of the behavioural responses of the harvester termite, Hodotermes mossambicus (Hagen) to poison baits was undertaken. Laboratory trials revealed that the collected baits were not incorporated into the termite nest food stores. The baits were never eaten because the nest-bound larval caste selects the food to be consumed by the entire colony, from the material collected by the foraging caste. Moreover, field observations have shown that the commercial bait, Kamikaze®, bears no resemblance to the grass collected by the termite foragers. This study revealed that observations of foraging and feeding behaviour of the termites are necessary before designing control measures.