Abstract
Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which are among the most harmful alien ants, were first detected in Japan in a shipping container from China in May 2017, and continue to enter Japan via this trade pathway. Fumigation is one of the most effective ways to eliminate S. invicta from goods transported in containers. The present study is the first to evaluate the effect of fumigation with allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) against S. invicta. Fumigation using microencapsulated AITC pellets in a gas-barrier bag for 24 h completely killed S. invicta. Furthermore, our fumigation system was able to maintain a high concentration of AITC vapor for at least 13 days. AITC, a naturally occurring compound in wasabi [Eutrema japonicum (Miq.) Koidz], has been demonstrated to be safe for humans and the environment, but its use as a fumigant is limited by its strong volatility and pungency. However, its encapsulation solves this problem by allowing controlled vapor release. Thus, the use of microencapsulated AITC in combination with a gas-barrier bag has considerable potential to provide an effective and easy-to-use protocol for fumigation of S. invicta.
Highlights
Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is one of the most harmful invasive species and poses serious hazards to agriculture, naturalElectronic supplementary material The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.Fumigation is one of the quickest and most effective ways to eliminate pests from goods transported in containers (Rajendran 2004)
Microencapsulated allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) pellets showed strong and rapid insecticidal activity against S. invicta when used as a fumigant in a gas-barrier bag (Fig. 2)
All survivors in the fumigation treatment were in the moribund state and died within the day, which indicated that the treatment completely killed S. invicta
Summary
Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is one of the most harmful invasive species and poses serious hazards to agriculture, natural. Fumigation is one of the quickest and most effective ways to eliminate pests from goods transported in containers (Rajendran 2004). Unlike synthetic fumigants, AITC is a gas that has a low water solubility and easy degradation in the atmosphere (Weerawatanakorn et al 2015). Such properties make AITC an environmental and human safety fumigant without pesticide residue concerns (US EPA 2013). The microencapsulated AITC has not been used as a fumigant against S. invicta, it has a good potential as a safe and effective solution to sanitize cargo and eradicate the invading pest. This study may provide a new and useful fumigation method to prevent S. invicta invasion to Japan
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