The production and quality of eucalyptus plantations have been studied in areas with different densities of ant nests, being important to estimate losses caused by leaf-cutting ants. The effects of leaf-cutting ant on wood production in differents productivity sites were studied in eucalyptus plantations in the region of Atlantic Forest, Minas Gerais State, Brazil from 2003 to 2006. Data of plots of the continuous forest inventory and data of leaf-cutting ant monitoring in eucalyptus plantations were obtained. Each unitary increment in the area of Atta spp. nests per hectare reduced the wood production of the eucalyptus forest between 0.04 and 0.13 m³.ha-1, resulting in a level of economic damage for leaf-cutting ants between 13.4 and 39.2 m².ha-1, in this region. Moreover, this study innovated when using indices of forest productivity (site index) that promote better adjustment of the models and produce estimate more accurate of the level of economic damage for leaf-cutting ants in cultivated forests, allowing to conclude that the increase of the total area of ant nests reduces the wooden volume of eucalyptus, proportionally to the productive potential of the forest.

RESUMO Avaliou-se a sobrevivência de operários do cupim Cornitermes cumulans (Kollar, 1832), isolados da colônia e mantidos em diferentes dietas artificiais em laboratório (21 ± 1° C; 90±10% UR e 24h de escotofase), em Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Nos bioensaios ofereceram-se ou não as dietas a 50 indivíduos por placa de Petri plástica com tampas perfuradas. Foram utilizadas seis repetições por tratamento, avaliando-se diariamente a sobrevivência dos cupins até a morte de todos os indivíduos. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de sobrevivência de Weibull e as equações submetidas ao teste de identidade de modelos não-lineares. Houve diferença na sobrevivência estimada dos cupins tratados com as diferentes dietas testadas. Concluiu-se que é possível manter operários de Cornitermes cumulans vivos e isolados da colônia com o emprego de dieta contendo papel filtro, bagaço de cana-de-açúcar e ágar como fonte de alimento para esses cupins.

ABSTRACT We evaluated the survival of the termite Cornitermes cumulans (Kollar, 1832), isolated from the colony and kept on different artificial diets in the laboratory (21 ± 1° C, 90 ± 10% UR and 24h of scotophase), in Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Fifty termite workers were isolated in each plastic Petri dish, where they were offered diets or not. We used 6 replicates per treatment, evaluating the daily survival of termites until the death of all the individuals. The results were submitted to Weibull survival analysis and the equations were subjected to the test of identity of non-linear models. There was a difference in estimated survival of termites treated with different diets. It was concluded that it is possible to keep Cornitermes cumulans workers alive and isolated from the colony with the use of a diet containing filter paper, bagasse cane sugar and agar as a food source.