Determination of feed preferences of termites on selected plants (Uncrushed and crushed) in an open field bioassay.
Test plants were selected from termite habitats in the Luanda sub-county. The plants were Sugarcane, Bamboo, Grevillea robusta , Blue citronella grass, maize stems, Eucalyptus, Cypress, Mango, Avocado, Neem, and a mixture of all the test plants. The control had no feed material. A field measuring 100m by 40m was used. Rectangular holes measuring 25cm by 15 cm were dug at a spacing of 3m apart. There were eleven treatments replicated four times. About 200g of chopped dry materials of the test plants were assigned randomly in the dug holes and covered with a soil block at 6pm. The feed traps were checked the following day at 6am before termites moved out. The number of termites foraging on the plant materials was removed and placed into a plastic basin, counted using forceps. This procedure was repeated in four different locations spread 500m apart. The test plants that showed high feeding preferences were selected for laboratory phytochemical screening. This procedure was repeated with crushed test plants