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Yasudai R, Matsubara A, Hsu PW, Lee CC, Lin CC, Scotty Yang CC. Laboratory and Field Evaluations of Two Bait Formulations Against the Invasive Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 115:624-630. [PMID: 35022766 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toab255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was first discovered in Japan in 2017. As this ant remains at the early invasion stage, efforts in establishing a rapid-response framework, such as evaluating available control methods, are urgently needed. Despite the presence of numerous household insecticides against invasive/household pest ants in Japan, the effects of these products on fire ants remain poorly understood. This study assessed the efficacy of two bait products designed to target common household ant pests in Japan on S. invicta through under laboratory and field conditions in Taiwan. The two baits are Arino-su-korori (AK), a granule-formulated bait product with hydramethylnon as an active ingredient (A.I.), and Hyper Arino-su-korori (HAK), a paste-formulated bait with fipronil as A.I., respectively. We showed that both AK and HAK resulted in more than 99% mortalities of fire ant within 8 wk under laboratory conditions and significantly reduce fire ants' foraging activities in the field. AK generally performed slightly better than HAK in terms of the time required to achieve total laboratory colony elimination and also long-term suppression of field fire ants. Such differences most likely are attributable to the active ingredient's mode of action and/or formulation and their interactions with fire ant biology. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the two bait products in effectively controlling laboratory and field fire ants, thus representing a promising candidate pest management tool to cope with ongoing/future fire ant invasions in Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rino Yasudai
- Research Laboratories, Earth Corporation, 3218-12, Sakoshi, Ako, Hyogo 678-0192, Japan
| | - Akira Matsubara
- Research Laboratories, Earth Corporation, 3218-12, Sakoshi, Ako, Hyogo 678-0192, Japan
| | - Po-Wei Hsu
- Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Chen Lee
- Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chi Lin
- Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007, Taiwan
| | - Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
- Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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Warner LA, Diaz JM, Osborne EW, Oi F, Reed CN. Evaluating connections between personal well-being and adoption of landscape best management practices: An audience segmentation study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 302:113959. [PMID: 34731704 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Integrated pest management and outdoor water conservation comprise key practices encouraged by nonformal educators who work with the public to address significant issues related to water quality and availability. Disconnects among diverse audiences and educational programs pose challenges in achieving the goals of these types of programs. To discern a potential nonformal educational programming strategy, we conducted audience segmentation research incorporating residential environmental landscape best management practices and compared resulting subgroups' characteristics. We explored this paradigm through the context of Extension education and used a nationally-distributed electronic survey instrument to measure well-being and landscape management perceptions and practices in the United States. We collected 2601 complete survey responses and employed cluster analysis to divide the respondents into homogenous subgroups, followed by analysis of variance and chi-square analyses to identify differences among the subgroups. The group that indicated the highest level of engagement with water conservation and IPM practices also had significantly higher well-being, demonstrating the potential to align IPM education with more commonly promoted conservation practices. Membership in the highest IPM and water conservation group was related to several socio-demographic characteristics, including age, homeownership, and homeowners' association membership. This group was also most likely to engage with educational programs. Understanding these indicators of engagement in landscape best management practices and nonformal education, along with higher well-being, may be useful in determining target audiences and potential engagement with nonformal education programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Warner
- Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida, PO Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Center for Land Use Efficiency, University of Florida, 200 Mehrhof Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - John M Diaz
- Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida, PO Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida 1200 N Park Road, Plant City, FL, 33563, USA.
| | - Edward W Osborne
- Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida, PO Box 110540, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Faith Oi
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, PO Box 110620, Building 970, Natural Area Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Caleb N Reed
- Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110240, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
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Feldhaar H, Otti O. Pollutants and Their Interaction with Diseases of Social Hymenoptera. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11030153. [PMID: 32121502 PMCID: PMC7142568 DOI: 10.3390/insects11030153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Many insect species, including social insects, are currently declining in abundance and diversity. Pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals, or airborne fine particulate matter from agricultural and industrial sources are among the factors driving this decline. While these pollutants can have direct detrimental effects, they can also result in negative interactive effects when social insects are simultaneously exposed to multiple stressors. For example, sublethal effects of pollutants can increase the disease susceptibility of social insects, and thereby jeopardize their survival. Here we review how pesticides, heavy metals, or airborne fine particulate matter interact with social insect physiology and especially the insects’ immune system. We then give an overview of the current knowledge of the interactive effects of these pollutants with pathogens or parasites. While the effects of pesticide exposure on social insects and their interactions with pathogens have been relatively well studied, the effects of other pollutants, such as heavy metals in soil or fine particulate matter from combustion, vehicular transport, agriculture, and coal mining are still largely unknown. We therefore provide an overview of urgently needed knowledge in order to mitigate the decline of social insects.
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Meng J, Lei J, Davitt A, Holt JR, Huang J, Gold R, Vargo EL, Tarone AM, Zhu-Salzman K. Suppressing tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) by RNAi technology. INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 27:113-121. [PMID: 29790281 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) is a new invasive pest in the United States. At present, its management mainly relies on the use of synthetic insecticides, which are generally ineffective at producing lasting control of the pest, necessitating alternative environmentally friendly measures. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of gene silencing to control this ant species. Six housekeeping genes encoding actin (NfActin), coatomer subunit β (NfCOPβ), arginine kinase (NfArgK), and V-type proton ATPase subunits A (NfvATPaseA), B (NfvATPaseB) and E (NfvATPaseE) were cloned. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high sequence similarity to homologs from other ant species, particularly the Florida carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus). To silence these genes, vector L4440 was used to generate six specific RNAi constructs for bacterial expression. Heat-inactivated, dsRNA-expressing Escherichia coli were incorporated into artificial diet. Worker ants exhibited reduced endogenous gene expression after feeding on such diet for 9 d. However, only ingestion of dsRNAs of NfCOPβ (a gene involved in protein trafficking) and NfArgK (a cellular energy reserve regulatory gene in invertebrates) caused modest but significantly higher ant mortality than the control. These results suggest that bacterially expressed dsRNA can be orally delivered to ant cells as a mean to target its vulnerabilities. Improved efficacy is necessary for the RNAi-based approach to be useful in tawny crazy ant management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Meng
- College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jiaxin Lei
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Andrew Davitt
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jocelyn R Holt
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jian Huang
- College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Roger Gold
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Edward L Vargo
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Aaron M Tarone
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Keyan Zhu-Salzman
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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