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Suiter DR, Gochnour BM, Holloway JB, Vail KM. Alternative Methods of Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Control with Emphasis on the Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile. Insects 2021; 12:insects12060487. [PMID: 34073959 PMCID: PMC8225145 DOI: 10.3390/insects12060487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Ants can be major pests to homeowners and other property owners. In the U.S., ants often rank as one of the most common and difficult-to-control pests around and in homes, businesses, and other facilities. Typically, ant control practices are conducted by licensed pest management professionals with sprays, baits, and granular products, containing various types of insecticides, applied to the outside perimeter of infested structures. Many of the insecticides used to control pest ants are harmful to non-target organisms, especially those in aquatic environments. To address these negative environmental impacts, research on alternative, generally low-impact and least toxic, ant control strategies has received a fair amount of attention. The underlying goal of this research is a reduction in human exposure to traditional insecticides. Examples of alternative approaches included in this review article include the use of essential oils and other chemicals as deterrents to ant nesting and foraging; ant trail pheromones as disruptants to foraging; mass trapping of ants; new gel baits containing extremely low concentrations of insecticide; and altering the behavior and distribution of ants by altering their access to food. Abstract Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), especially the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), can be significant nuisance pests in urban and suburban environments. Conventional interventions have primarily relied on the use of chemical insecticides, namely fipronil and bifenthrin, applied as residual, contact treatments around the outside perimeter of infested structures. Despite tightening regulation limiting the scope of insecticide applications in urban settings, dependence on these products to manage ants continues, resulting in significant water contamination. The U.S. EPA, in response, has further restricted the use patterns of many insecticides used for ant control in professional and over-the-counter markets. The purpose of this review is to summarize the relevant literature associated with controlling nuisance pest ants, with emphasis on L. humile, without the use of liquid broadcast applications of EPA-registered insecticides while focusing on low-impact, alternative (to broadcast applications) pest control methods. Specific subsections include Trail Pheromone; Use of Behavior-Modifying Chemicals; Mass Trapping; Hydrogels, “Virtual” Baiting, and Exceedingly-Low Bait Concentrations; Food Source Reduction; Deterrents; and RNA Interference (RNAi).
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Suiter
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia Griffin Campus, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, GA 30223, USA
| | - Benjamin M Gochnour
- D.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jacob B Holloway
- U.S. Army Environmental Command, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX 78234, USA
| | - Karen M Vail
- Department of Entomology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
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Gibson J, Suarez A, Qazi D, Benson T, Chiavacci S, Merrill L. Prevalence and consequences of ants and other arthropods in active nests of Midwestern birds. CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Many organisms build nests which create unique microhabitats that are exploited by other animals. In turn, these nest colonizers may positively or negatively influence nest owners. Bird nests are known to harbor communities that include both harmful and possibly beneficial species. We quantified the nest arthropod communities of 10 bird species in Illinois, USA, along a land-use gradient, focusing on ant prevalence. We found eight ant species in nests, and for three species, at least part of their colonies inhabited nests. The odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile (Say, 1836)) was the most common species and maintained the largest colonies in nest material. Forest-cover percentage surrounding bird nests best predicted ant-colony presence. There was little evidence that ant presence influenced abundance or prevalence of other arthropods within nests with the exception of Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum (Linnaeus, 1758)) nests, where a negative association between T. sessile presence and abundance of fly larvae was found. Breeding success did not differ between nests with and without ant colonies for any bird species. Ant species that exhibit polydomy and nomadism may be more likely to occupy ephemeral resources like bird nests than other ants. How widespread this phenomenon is and the degree of commensalism that both parties experience is unclear and warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J.C. Gibson
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - A.V. Suarez
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - D. Qazi
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 286 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - T.J. Benson
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - S.J. Chiavacci
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
- United States Geological Survey, Science and Decisions Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 20192, USA
| | - L. Merrill
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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Rodríguez J, Montoya-Lerma J, Calle Z. Effect of Tithonia diversifolia mulch on Atta cephalotes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) nests. J Insect Sci 2015; 15:iev015. [PMID: 25843585 PMCID: PMC4535472 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iev015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown an insecticidal effect of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) Gray (Asterales: Asteraceae) foliage on workers of Atta cephalotes L. and inhibitory effects of this plant on the growth of the symbiotic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus (A. Müler) Singer. To evaluate the potential of T. diversifolia as a biological control treatment of this important pest, we assessed the effect of green manure (mulch) of this plant on natural nests of A. cephalotes, in Cali, Colombia. Three treatments were randomly assigned to 30 nests: 1) green mulch of T. diversifolia, 2) green mulch of Miconia sp., Ruiz & Pav. and 3) unmulched control. Every 2 wk for 6 mo, the surface of the nests was completely covered with leaves. Physical and chemical parameters of nest soil were assessed before the first and after the last application of the mulch. Ant foraging in T. diversifolia-treated nests decreased by 60% after the initial applications of the mulch, while nest surface area decreased by 40%. When the nests covered with T. diversifolia were opened, it was observed that the superficial fungus chambers had been relocated at a greater depth. In addition, microbial activity and soil pH increased by 84% and 12%, respectively, in nests covered with plant residues. In conclusion, the continued use of T. diversifolia mulch reduces foraging activity and negatively affects the internal conditions of the colonies, thereby inducing the ants to relocate the fungus chambers within the nests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Rodríguez
- Department of Biology, Grupo de Ecología de Agroecosistemas y Habitats Naturales (GEAHNA), Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 No. 100-00, Cali, Colombia
| | - James Montoya-Lerma
- Department of Biology, Grupo de Ecología de Agroecosistemas y Habitats Naturales (GEAHNA), Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 No. 100-00, Cali, Colombia
| | - Zoraida Calle
- Restoration Ecology Area, Fundación CIPAV, Carrera 25 No. 6-62, Cali, Colombia
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Tumen I, Süntar I, Eller FJ, Keleş H, Akkol EK. Topical Wound-Healing Effects and Phytochemical Composition of Heartwood Essential Oils ofJuniperus virginianaL.,Juniperus occidentalisHook., andJuniperus asheiJ. Buchholz. J Med Food 2013; 16:48-55. [DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2012.2472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Tumen
- Department of Forest Products Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry, Bartin University, Bartin, Turkey
| | - Ipek Süntar
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Fred J. Eller
- Functional Foods Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS), Peoria, Illinois, USA
| | - Hikmet Keleş
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
| | - Esra Küpeli Akkol
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
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Souto RNP, Harada AY, Andrade EHA, Maia JGS. Insecticidal activity of Piper essential oils from the Amazon against the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Neotrop Entomol 2012; 41:510-7. [PMID: 23949677 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-012-0080-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/06/2012] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Pepper plants in the genus Piper (Piperales: Piperaceae) are common in the Brazilian Amazon and many produce compounds with biological activity against insect pests. We evaluated the insecticidal effect of essential oils from Piper aduncum, Piper marginatum (chemotypes A and B), Piper divaricatum and Piper callosum against workers of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), as well as their chemical composition by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The lowest median lethal concentration (LC50) in 48 h was obtained with the oil of P. aduncum (58.4 mg/L), followed by the oils of P. marginatum types A (122.4 mg/L) and B (167.0 mg/L), P. divaricatum (301.7 mg/L), and P. callosum (312.6 mg/L). The major chemical constituents were dillapiole (64.4%) in the oil of P. aduncum; p-mentha-1(7),8-diene (39.0%), 3,4-methylenedioxypropiophenone (19.0%), and (E)-β-ocimene (9.8%) in P. marginatum chemotype A and (E)-isoosmorhizole (32.2%), (E)-anethole (26.4%), isoosmorhizole (11.2%), and (Z)-anethole (6.0%) in P. marginatum chemotype B; methyleugenol (69.2%) and eugenol (16.2%) in P. divaricatum; and safrole (69.2%), methyleugenol (8.6%), and β-pinene (6.2%) in P. callosum. These chemical constituents have been previously known to possess insecticidal properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- R N P Souto
- Depto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Univ Federal do Amapá, Macapá, AP, Brasil
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Buczkowski G, Richmond DS. The effect of urbanization on ant abundance and diversity: a temporal examination of factors affecting biodiversity. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41729. [PMID: 22876291 PMCID: PMC3410901 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have examined the effect of urbanization on species richness and most studies implicate urbanization as the major cause of biodiversity loss. However, no study has identified an explicit connection between urbanization and biodiversity loss as the impact of urbanization is typically inferred indirectly by comparing species diversity along urban-rural gradients at a single time point. A different approach is to focus on the temporal rather than the spatial aspect and perform “before and after” studies where species diversity is cataloged over time in the same sites. The current study examined changes in ant abundance and diversity associated with the conversion of natural habitats into urban habitats. Ant abundance and diversity were tracked in forested sites that became urbanized through construction and were examined at 3 time points - before, during, and after construction. On average, 4.3±1.2 unique species were detected in undisturbed plots prior to construction. Ant diversity decreased to 0.7±0.8 species in plots undergoing construction and 1.5±1.1 species in plots 1 year after construction was completed. With regard to species richness, urbanization resulted in the permanent loss of 17 of the 20 species initially present in the study plots. Recovery was slow and only 3 species were present right after construction was completed and 4 species were present 1 year after construction was completed. The second objective examined ant fauna recovery in developed residential lots based on time since construction, neighboring habitat quality, pesticide inputs, and the presence of invasive ants. Ant diversity was positively correlated with factors that promoted ecological recovery and negatively correlated with factors that promoted ecological degradation. Taken together, these results address a critical gap in our knowledge by characterizing the short- and long-term the effects of urbanization on the loss of ant biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Buczkowski
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America.
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Toennisson TA, Sanders NJ, Klingeman WE, Vail KM. Influences on the structure of suburban ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) communities and the abundance of Tapinoma sessile. Environ Entomol 2011; 40:1397-1404. [PMID: 22217754 DOI: 10.1603/en11110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization can alter the organization of ant communities and affect populations of urban pest ants. In this study, we sampled ant communities in urban and suburban yards to understand the habitat factors that shape these communities and influence the abundance of a common pest species, Tapinoma sessile (Say). We used pitfall traps to sample ant communities and a combination of pitfall traps and baiting to collect T. sessile at 24 sites in Knoxville, TN. In total, we collected 46 ant species. Ant species richness ranged from seven to 24 species per yard. Ant species richness tended to be lowest near houses, whereas T. sessile abundance was highest near houses. The best predictors of ant species richness in yards were canopy cover and presence of leaf litter: ant species richness peaked at mid-levels of canopy cover and was negatively correlated with the presence of leaf litter. Tapinoma sessile abundance increased with presence of logs, boards, or landscaping timbers and leaf litter in yards. Our results indicate that ant communities and the abundance of particular pest species in these urban and suburban landscapes are shaped by many of the same factors that structure ant communities in less anthropogenically disturbed environments.
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Abstract
The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, has invaded urban, agricultural, and natural habitats worldwide, causing economic damage and disrupting ecosystem processes. Introduced populations of L. humile and those of many other invasive ants tend to be unicolonial, forming expansive, multiqueened supercolonies that dominate native ant communities and challenge control practices in managed habitats. Argentine ant management typically entails the application of residual insecticide liquids, granules, or baits to only a portion of the colony, resulting in fairly rapid reinfestation. We suggest that prevailing control methodologies are incomplete and not compatible with the behavior, nesting habits, and population structure of this ant, and therefore, more aggressive management strategies are required. Successful eradication efforts against other invasive unicolonial ant species can provide useful insights for local-scale L. humile eradication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules Silverman
- Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7613, USA.
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