Causes and effects of ant community structure in Hemlock Forests in 2005

Adjacent to the HWA (Hemlock woolly adelgid) sites, we will establish a 10m x 10m sampling grid, with 2.5 m spacing between each grid point (N=25 grid points per site). At each grid point, we will bury pitfall traps (95-mm diameter cups partially filled with soapy water) so that the upper lip is flush with the soil. Traps will be left in place for 48 hours. After the pitfall traps are collected, we will fill the holes and place a tuna-fish/pecan sandie bait at each grid point for approximately 3 hours and collect ants as they recruit to the baits. Finally, we will collect 4 m^2 of leaf litter to extract leaf litter ants.