Abstract
Invasive ants are major agricultural and urban pests and a significant concern in conservation areas. Despite long history of control and eradication efforts, invasive ants continue to spread around the globe driven by a multitude of synergistic factors. Lack of effective management tools is one of the biggest challenges in controlling invasive ants. The goal of the current study was to improve the efficacy and safety of ant management and to develop effective control strategies for sensitive conservation areas. We utilized the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) as a model system to evaluate a target-specific pesticide delivery system that exploits the interconnected nature of social insect colonies to distribute a toxicant effectively within the colony. The approach, based entirely on horizontal transfer, takes advantage of various levels of social interactions in ant colonies to disseminate a toxicant throughout the colony. Results of laboratory studies coupled with LC/MS/MS analysis demonstrate that fipronil is toxic to Argentine ants in extremely small (nanogram) quantities and is efficiently transferred from a single treated donor to multiple recipients, causing significant secondary mortality. A field study was conducted in native fynbos plots invaded by Argentine ants. The study consisted of collecting naïve workers, treating them with fipronil, and releasing them within invaded plots. Results show that the release of fipronil-treated ants reduced Argentine ant abundance by >90% within 24 h. The horizontal transfer approach offers environmental benefits with regard to pesticide use in ecologically sensitive environments and appears ideally suited for ant management in conservation areas.
Highlights
Invasive ants are major agricultural and urban pests and a significant concern in conservation areas
Results of the laboratory study on the horizontal transfer of fipronil coupled with liquid chromatography (LC)/mass spectrometer (MS)/MS analysis revealed that fipronil was efficiently transferred from treated donors to untreated recipients
Results demonstrate that fipronil applied via spray applications was readily transferred from treated to untreated workers and that fipronil is toxic to Argentine ants in extremely small amounts
Summary
Invasive ants are major agricultural and urban pests and a significant concern in conservation areas. The goal of the current study was to improve the efficacy and safety of ant management and to develop effective control strategies for sensitive conservation areas. The main goal of such efforts is to minimize negative environmental impact, pesticide residues that might have non-target effects Recent developments in this area include hydrogel baits[24,25,26], prey-baiting based on the use of insecticide-treated prey[27,28], and pheromone-assisted baiting[29,30]. Another new development is exploiting social interactions within colonies to promote the spread of insecticides through horizontal transfer. Fipronil was effectively vectored from treated donor ants to untreated recipients and caused significant secondary mortality
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
