Upload
casey-parmeter
View
220
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Ants and Ant ControlAnts and Ant Control
Dr. Richard M. Houseman
Department of Entomology
University of Missouri
Ants
• Order Hymenoptera– More than 8,800 species world-
wide
• Social Insects– Division of labor
• Complete metamorphosis• Complex Feeding
– Feed on many different things– Circulate food within the
colony
Social Organization
• Life Stages– Eggs
• Fertilized or unfertilized
– Larvae• Legless, grub-like stage
• Cannot feed themselves
• Perform no maintenance
• Digest solid materials
– Pupae• Inactive, pre-adult stage
Social Organization
• Life Stages– Worker
• Sterile adult females
• Most numerous stage in colony
• Responsible for all nest maintenance activities
– Reproductives• Queen = egg production; single or multiple queens
• King = winged; only for mating and dies afterward
Ant Biology
• Feeding and Nutrition– Eat many different kinds of food
• Honeydew, Sweets• Protein, Oil • Seeds, Plants • Insects
– Usually have preferred food types
Feeding and Nutrition
• Workers obtain solid and liquid food– Honeydew preferred
– Aphids protected by many ants
• Trophollaxis – Solid foods digested by larvae
– Digested food circulated through the colony by workers
Ant Biology
• Nesting Habits– Nesting sites usually chosen
by instinct
– Three Nest Types• Soil nests
• Wood nests
• Opportunistic nests
– Knowing nesting habits is important
Missouri Ants
• Hundreds of species– Not all considered pests.
• Several pest ants present
• Most belong to one of three groups– Myrmecinae – Formicinae– Dolichoderinae
Ant Management
• Identify the ant.
• Find out where the queen ant is living.
• Direct control measures at areas where the queen is living.
• Correct contributing conditions
Missouri’s Top Ten
– Little black ant– Pharaoh ant*– Acrobat ant– Pavement ant– Carpenter ant*– Yellow ant– Cornfield ant– Allegheny Mound ant*– Odorous house ant*– Argentine ant
Pest Ant Identification
• Three Main Characters• Antennae
– All ants have elbowed antennae
• Waist– Pedicel with node(s)
• Anus– Nozzle or slit-like– With or without hairs
Pest Ant Identification
• Myrmecinae – Pedicel with two nodes
• Formicinae– Pedicel with one node
– Anal hairs
• Dolichoderinae– Pedicel with one node
– No anal hairs
Missouri Myrmecinae
• Little Black Ant– Opportunistic, budding
• Pharaoh Ant– Opportunistic, budding– Multiple, related queens– Supercolonies
• Acrobat Ant– Wood nests, single queen
• Pavement Ant– Soil nest, many queens
together
Missouri Formicinae• Carpenter Ant
– Even thorax, multiple size workers, wood nests, single queen
– Satellite colonies
• Yellow Ant– single queen; soil nest
• Cornfield Ant– single queen; soil nest
• Allegheny Mound Ant– Uneven thorax, Multiple size
workers; soil nests; multiple queens
Allegheny Ant Mound (Formica exsectoides)
Myrmecinae
• Imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta)
– 10S Antennae; 2S club– Honeydew, sweets, protein, oil,
seeds, plants, insects– Workers multiple sizes– Single or multiple queens– Soil Nests
• Open, sunny areas; crater-shaped mound; under debris; inside logs;
– Swarms spring through summer; colony budding
Missouri Dolichoderinae
• Odorous House Ant– Small; one size; opportunistic
– Single queen; no swarm
• Argentine Ant– Small; one size; opportunistic
– Multiple, related queens; no swarm
Ant Management
• Identify the ant.
• Find out where the queen ant is living.
• Direct control measures at areas where the queen is living.
• Correct contributing conditions
Ant Management
• Possible Control Tactics– Physical and Cultural– Chemical
• Directed at queen– Mound drenches– Void spaces– Wood treatments– Baits
• Directed at structure– Perimeter treatments
Ant Management
• Cultural– Sanitation
• Remove food sources
• Remove nesting sites– Debris piles
– Vegetation
• Moisture control– Ventilation
Ant Management
• Physical– Exclusion
• Sealing cracks and crevices– Often very difficult due to size
– Vacuuming• Useful for removing exposed
satellite colonies
Ant Management
• Chemical (Queen-directed)– Soil Drenches
• Soil-dwelling ants– Apply to mound, mulch, etc.
• Thorough penetration– Low-pressure spray
– Watering can
– Best for single queen ants
Ant Management
• Chemical (Queen-directed)– Void Treatments
• Wall voids– Nests usually found at base of wall
• Brick veneer– Apply at weep holes along outside
• Masonry brick/hollow blocks– Drill near infestation and inject insecticide
– Dusts and aerosols commonly used
Ant Management
• Chemical (Queen-directed)– Wood treatment– Injection
• Drill into nest
• Dusts or aerosols
Ant Management
• Chemical (Queen-directed)– Baits
• Depend on species and colony (‘finicky eaters’)• Sweet vs. protein feeders and yearly cycles
– Try several different types until get good feeding
– Placed near to the colony• Use lots of bait in untreated areas• In corners and along active trails• Check within a week
Ant Management
• Chemical (Structure-directed)– Perimeter Treatments– Used to prevent workers from entering the structure
• Temporary relief
• Applied to base of foundation and area adjacent to foundation
– Wettable powders, microencapsulated
Ant Summary
• Social Insects• Different forms in colony; division of labor
• Many pest species in Missouri• Unique in appearance and biology; identification is
key to control
• Interesting Biology• Communicate using chemical signals• Food sharing within colony• Variety of nesting habits and feeding preferences