Abstract
Leaf-cutting ants are pests that afflict diverse crops, and are most efficiently controlled by chemical methods that are widely utilized. Other methods have been investigated aiming to efficiently control these insects while reducing the environmental impact of applying such chemical products. Therefore, an assay was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of baits, formulated homeopathically, in nests of the leaf-cutting ant Atta bisphaerica, in the field. Thirty (30) colonies were chosen and divided into 10 repetitions for each of the following treatments: control (without baits), standard (8 g/m2 of loose soil of baits based on sulfluramid 0.3%) and homeopathic (60 g/m2 of loose soil of homeopathic baits parceled into 20g/m2 doses applied on 3 consecutive days). At 24 hours after bait application on active foraging trails of colonies, evaluation of parameters was initiated: loading and return of the baits, foraging and mortality. The completed assay demonstrated that the transport of baits was greater in the standard (80%) than the homeopathic treatment (50%), and, to the contrary, the return of baits was significantly higher in the homeopathic treatment (15%) versus the conventional, where return/rejection did not occur. Colony mortality was 20% under the homeopathic treatment, differing statistically from the 80% value produced by the standard treatment. Thus, the homeopathic treatment is not demonstrated to be efficient at controlling leaf-cutting ants, suggesting new studies with different methodologies.
Highlights
The insects of the family Formicidae are known for their highly organized colonies that consist of millions of individuals
The 80% bait transport rate under the conventional treatment had been expected since prior experiments utilizing products formulated with the same active ingredient at the same concentration obtained a high pellet transport rate in the field (Zanuncio et al, 1997; Zanetti et al, 2004)
The cause of the low rate of transport for homeopathic baits was not investigated, and it could not be affirmed whether it is a function of homeopathic formulation or of some other random factor such as the unknown quality of citric pulp utilized in the manufacturing of baits
Summary
The insects of the family Formicidae are known for their highly organized colonies that consist of millions of individuals. The leafcutting ants belong to the tribe Attini, are present throughout tropical portions of the Americas and are the greatest consumers of vegetal mass in Brazil when compared with other insects and even with mammals When they carry the leaves under the soil, the large quantity of organic material that is made available becomes a source of carbon and other nutrients for other organisms. Intensive agriculture has augmented agricultural productivity, and, due to its high dependence on great quantities of nonrenewable energy and raw materials, frequently has resulted in soil degradation, environmental pollution and damage to wildlife For this reason, recent years have seen growing interest in agricultural methods that are both economically and environmentally sound (Betti et al, 2009). In recent years, increasing levels of resistance to insecticides and concerns about insecticide residues in agricultural products have stimulated a growing demand for products cultivated under new strategies of control, raising, in this context, the question of whether homeopathic preparations are able to control pest species (Wiss et al, 2010)
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