Butyl Carbitol Acetate as an Ant Repellent on the Pecan Tree Trunk

Abstract

2 – (2 – butoxyethoxy) ethyl acetate (butyl carbitol acetate), an animal repellent, was found to repel red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta (Buren), in trail blocking, pickup, and trail to source bioassays. Butyl carbitol acetate effectively prevented worker ants from trailing up the trunk of pecan trees for 1 wk and reduced foraging for 2 wks after application. Butyl carbitol acetate and farnesol were more effective than neem extract, methyl myristate, methyl anthranilate, and Tanglefoot® (The Tanglefoot Co., Grand Rapids, Ml) in restricting ants from crossing a trunk barrier. Also, application of the repellents dissolved in wax-slurry and applied directly to the trunk was more effective than application to a wax-covered Kraft paper (Food Services Direct, Hampton, VA) band. Wax-covered strings amended with the repellents and tied around the trunk were similar in effectiveness to the waxy slurry band.