Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Insectes Sociaux
Publication Date
6-1-1986
Abstract
Mature nests of Macrotermes michaelseni were sampled at approximately monthly intervals over two years. A single large brood of reproductives was produced each year, which took about seven months from egg-laying to maturity, and sometimes remained in the nest for several more months before flighting was complete. The sterile population of the nest was remarkably constant through the year, showing no response to the seasonal rainfall pattern or to the presence of the developing reproductive brood in the nest. Some changes were observed in the course of a severe drought, resulting in a gradual reduction in the sterile populations of nests, and in the overall termite population of the area. © 1986 Masson.
Recommended Citation
Darlington, J. (1986). Seasonality in mature nests of the termite Macrotermes michaelseni in Kenya. Insectes Sociaux, 33 (2), 168-189. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224596