Relationship between the Type of Feeding Behavior of Termites and the Acoustic Emission (AE) Generation

Abstract

Three pest termite species,Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe) and Cryptotermes domesticus Haviland were used to investigate the relationship between the types of feeding behavior and the generation of acoustic emission (AE) using a charge coupled device (CCD) camera under AE monitering. Three types of feeding behavior, "pulling", "cutting" and "scraping", basically using the mandible and the maxillae, were observed with the CCD camera. When pulling behavior was observed, AEs of larger amplitude were interruptedly detected. Frequent AEs of lower amplitude were detected when cutting and scraping were observed.