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Imported Fire Ants, Competitor Ants Imported Fire Ants, Competitor Ants and Impact of Ant Bait Productsand Impact of Ant Bait Products
Bart M. Drees, Nathan Riggs, Brad Vinson, Bart M. Drees, Nathan Riggs, Brad Vinson, AshaAsha RoaRoa and and PallaviPallavi MokkaralaMokkarala
SS#1411 & CD#14SS#1411 & CD#14
__________________________________________________________________Management Considerations
Red Imported Fire Ant
Competitor Ants Ant Baits
__________________________________________________________________
Photos by Photos by TAMU TAMU ChaldidoidChaldidoidLabLab
__________________________________________________________________
Red Imported Fire AntRed Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaSolenopsis invictaEat seeds, insects, Eat seeds, insects, proteinsproteinsLives indoors and Lives indoors and outdoorsoutdoors
__________________________________________________________________Brood and Adult Ants
Multiple queen colony in laboratory
__________________________________________________________________
Caste Developmentand Life Stages
Worker brood & workers
Sexual brood and winged reproductives
Queen & eggs
__________________________________________________________________
Southern Fire AntSolenopsis Solenopsis geminatageminataEats seeds, insects, Eats seeds, insects, sweetssweetsNests outdoorsNests outdoors
Other Fire Ants
Top photo by L. Gilbert Top photo by L. Gilbert showing showing S. S. geminatageminata on on left and left and S. S. invictainvicta on righton right
__________________________________________________________________Other Ant Species
• 291 ant species occur in Texas (O’Keefe et al. 2000)
• Most species are beneficial by preying on other arthropods and tilling soil
• Some species have restricted habitats or do not compete directly with imported fire ants
• Fire ants reduce native and competitor species
__________________________________________________________________Other Ant Species
Carpenter AntsCarpenter AntsCamponotusCamponotus sppspp..Eats dead insects, other Eats dead insects, other proteinsproteinsNest in wood (indoors & out) Nest in wood (indoors & out)
__________________________________________________________________Other Ant Species
Texas Leaf Cutter AntsTexas Leaf Cutter AntsAttaAtta texanatexanaEat fungus grown on leavesEat fungus grown on leavesNest OutdoorsNest Outdoors
__________________________________________________________________
Acrobat AntsAcrobat AntsCrematogaster Crematogaster spp.spp.Eat insects, sweetsEat insects, sweetsLive indoors & outLive indoors & out
Other Ant Species
__________________________________________________________________Other Ants Species
• Invades small fire ant colonies (<500 workers)• Can competes with fire ants indoors
Pharaoh (Sugar) AntPharaoh (Sugar) Ant
MonomoriumMonomorium pharaonispharaonis
Eat proteins, sweetsEat proteins, sweets
Nests mostly indoors Nests mostly indoors
__________________________________________________________________
Red Harvester AntsRed Harvester Ants
Pogonomyrmex Pogonomyrmex barbatusbarbatus
Eat seeds, grasses, dead insectsEat seeds, grasses, dead insects
Nest outdoorsNest outdoors
__________________________________________________________________Red Harvester Ant Disappearance
• Harvester ants do not compete directly with imported fire ants; can live side by side temporarily
• Fire ants prey on harvester ants and ultimately may raid the nest
• Fire ants prey on founding harvester ant queens, preventing new colony establishment
• Harvester ant colonies are eliminated by ant bait products like Amdro®
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Predators of newly mated queen ants• Directly eliminate small ant colonies• Compete for food and nesting resources
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Invades small fire ant colonies (<240 workers)• Squirts venom, steals brood • Small size allows workers to hide and avoid
capture
Thief Ant SolenopsisSolenopsis molestamolesta
Eat insects, proteinsEat insects, proteins
Nest outdoors in other antsNest outdoors in other ants’’nestsnests
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Invades small fire ant colonies (<500 workers or 3 months old); preys on founding fire ant queens
• Uses directed spray of venom to kill 2 fire ants for every Monomorium killed; preys on fire ant brood
Little Black Ant
MonomoriumMonomorium minimumminimum
Eat Insects, SweetsEat Insects, Sweets
Nest OutdoorsNest Outdoors
__________________________________________________________________Predatory and Competitor Ants
Photographs by Asha Rao, TAMULittle black ants attacking fire ant queen
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Preys on founding fire ant queens• Invades small fire ant colonies (<240 workers)• Very aggressive fighters that bite but use no
venom
Pavement Ants (Exotic)Pavement Ants (Exotic)
TetramoriumTetramorium sppspp..
Eat dead insects, Eat dead insects, grease, sweetsgrease, sweets
Nest indoors and outNest indoors and out
__________________________________________________________________Predatory and Competitor Ants
Photographs by Asha Rao, TAMUPavement ants attacking fire ant queen
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Neither invades fire ant colonies nor fights or bites• Suppresses or eliminates fire ant foraging (using
venom) resulting in their colony’s decline• Place dead fire ants around their nests
ForeliusForelius (Cheese) Ants(Cheese) AntsForeliusForelius mccookimccooki
Eats Sweets, ProteinsEats Sweets, Proteins
Nest Outdoors in sunny areasNest Outdoors in sunny areas
__________________________________________________________________Other Ant Species
• Nest near other ant nests• Appear to feed on dead worker ants• Colonies similar to Forelius sp.
Yellow Pyramid Ant
DorymyrmexDorymyrmex pyramicuspyramicus
Eats live and dead insects, sweetsEats live and dead insects, sweets
Nest outdoorsNest outdoors
__________________________________________________________________
ForeliusForelius (Cheese) Ants (Cheese) Ants with dead ant pilewith dead ant pile
Pyramid Ant
Competitor Ant Species Nests
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Invades small fire ant colonies (<480 workers)• Excellent fighters and biters that recruit big-
headed workers to battle; raid brood and returning to nest with remains of fire ant colony
Big Headed Ants
PheidolePheidole sppspp..
Eat insects, sweetsEat insects, sweets
Live mostly outdoorsLive mostly outdoors
__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species
• Invade fire ant colonies (<30 workers)• Workers kills slower-moving fire ant workers• Occasionally become pests after fire ants have been
eliminated using broadcast applied bait products
Crazy AntsCrazy Ants
Pyrotechnic Pyrotechnic longicornislongicornis
Eat insects, grease, sweetsEat insects, grease, sweets
Live indoors and outdoorsLive indoors and outdoors
__________________________________________________________________Factors Affecting Bait Specificity
• Active ingredient: metabolic inhibitors like Amdro, insect growth regulators like Logic® or Award®, Distance®, Extinguish®, and nerve toxins like Ascend
• Formulation: attractants like soybean oil or ground caterpillars, and concentration of active ingredient
• Placement: mount treatments versus broadcast application; other treatment patterns
• Timing: seasonal and daily variations in unique foraging habits of ant species
__________________________________________________________________Effects of Ant Baits
• Mortality of worker ants (metabolic inhibitors like Amdro®) and other colony components
• Egg production reduced or eliminated and shift in larval development to winged reproductives (insect growth regulators like Logic® or Award®, Distance®, Extinguish®
__________________________________________________________________Impact of Insecticide Baits
• Bait removed in 1 hour from 250 mg provided to the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), thief ant (S. molesta) and little black ant (M. minimum)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Untreated Amdro Logic
S. invictaS. molestaM. min.
Untreated = defatted corn grit without toxicant
__________________________________________________________________Impact of Insecticide Baits
• Worker ant mortality within 2 months by the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), thief ant (S. molesta) and little black ant (M. minimum)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Untreated Amdro Logic
S. invictaS. molestaM. min.
Untreated = defatted corn grit without toxicant
__________________________________________________________________Impact of Insecticide Baits
• Egg productionwithin 2 months by the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), thief ant (S. molesta) and little black ant (M. minimum)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Untreated Amdro Logic
S. invictaS. molestaM. min.
Untreated = defatted corn grit without toxicant
__________________________________________________________________Conserving Competitor Ants
• Take care when using broad spectrum insecticides or broadcast bait products where native or exotic competitor (fire ant predator) ants are desired
• Use only individual fire ant mound treatment methods, and avoid treating nests of desirable ants
• In areas with 20 or more imported fire ant mounds per acre (5 mounds per ¼ acre yard), broadcast application of fire ant bait product may actually help restore native ant communities by suppressing or eliminating fire ants
__________________________________________________________________
Habitat Manipulations:“Ant Farming”
• Imported fire ants favor disturbed habitats(construction, flooding or some types of insecticide use), whereas stable, diverse habitats favor competitor ant species
• Create or leave nesting sites like rocks, landscape timbers, grass clumps
• Know the native ants in your area and their habitat preferences (shade versus open nesting species)
__________________________________________________________________
Fire Ant Management Considerations
• Tolerance for ants: In some areas any ant is considered pests; some species are truly pestiferous and should be managed
• Cost and labor of applying ant control products:Current fire ant control products require periodic re-application
• Control objectives: Although competitor ants may provide biotic resistance, but have historically been suppressed or eliminated by red imported fire ant invasions