Aspectos comportamentais de Crematogaster quadriformis Roger, 1863 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) frente a Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari, 1867) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) e a voláteis de frutos de café

Abstract

Ants have different functions in an ecosystem according to the species, and some of them have been reported acting as natural enemies of the coffee borer Hypothenemus hampei. The control of the coffee borer represents a problem for coffee growers, especially due to factors related to the biology of this insect, making access and consequent effectiveness of phytosanitary products difficult. Knowing the potential of predatory ants for population control of the borer, inside and outside the fruits, the objective of this work was to evaluate the role of Crematogaster quadriformis on H. hampei; its interference with the natural enemy Chrysoperla externa, which acts on the coffee leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella; in addition to its attractiveness and preference for fruits at different stages of maturation: infested and not infested by the coffee borer. The experiments were carried out in the laboratory under controlled conditions in two stages. Initially, the attack of ants on individuals of the coffee borer and lacewings was investigated. In the second stage, the role that volatiles from coffee fruits at different stages of maturation play in their attractiveness to ants was evaluated. Additionally, the preference of these predators between fruits infested and not infested by the coffee borer was evaluated, at different stages. The ants C. quadriformis showed potential as natural enemies against the coffee borer, they also carried out intraguild predation on the lacewing, so they could negatively interfere with its role as a natural enemy. These ants are attracted to ripe coffee fruits and cannot tell the difference between infested or uninfested fruits. In this way, C. quadriformis is attracted to the coffee plant and controls H. hampei, however, it also performs intraguild predation on C. externa.