Preferences of the dark-brown ant, Lasius japonicus Santschi for several kinds of building materials in insulated wooden house

Abstract

Preferences of the dark-brown ant, Lasius japonicus for several building materials were tested. The preference ratios for natural deterioration fir timber were 55.0% under dry conditions, 58.3% under wettish conditions, and 61.5% under wet conditions. Dark-brown ants exhibited low preference ratios (0.3% to 3.6%) for new and rotten timbers under the same conditions. They exhibited the highest preference ratios for polystyrene insulation (33.3% under dry conditions and 31.5% under wettish conditions) and preference ratios of 28.6% for glass wool and 24.8% for polyurethane under wettish conditions.