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The article presents a study which aims to assess tunneling and soil movement capabilities of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), the most commonly encountered termite in Oklahoma, through a no-choice test. In the tests, field-collected soils made up of different proportions of sand, silt, and clay were used, which were collected from a native tallgrass prairie habitat, and local river sand. The results show that soil texture significantly influences both the rate of tunneling and amount of soil removed from foraging tubes. The study concludes that normal subterranean termite foraging activities have an important, but not yet fully documented effect on nutrient cycling and soil turnover within the native Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

Recent changes in termite management technologies have stimulated a need for better understanding of basic termite ecology. Studies estimating the number of individuals in foraging populations and foraging territory sizes of subterranean termite colonies have been conducted in many areas of the United States. However, colonies of Reticulitermes occurring in the central Great Plains have not been well characterized. Results of studies conducted with three colonies of R. flavipes (Kollar) on an Oklahoma native tallgrass prairie are provided herein. Foraging population numbers, foraging areas, maximum linear foraging distances and soldier caste ratios were determined. Estimated foraging areas for individual colonies ranged from 9.0 to 92.3 m². Colonies contained 10,357 to 183,495 foragers. Soldiers comprised 2.69 to 4.46% of the foraging populations. We conclude that rather than the result of a few large populations, the widespread termite pressure in this native habitat is likely the result of many small colonies foraging in close proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]