Susceptible individuals who have suffered painful stings caused by red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, usually experience physical health effects such as fever, dizziness, generalized urticaria, or other systemic reactions such as anaphylactic shock. Whether S. invicta stings also have negative effects on mental health is not clear. In the present study, the psychological impact of S. invicta stings was evaluated using a questionnaire that included a previously published posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist, the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, 5th scale (PSQI(5)). A total of 96 valid questionnaires were obtained; 37 participants were placed in the stung group, and 59 participants were placed in the unstung group. Our results showed that symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances were not associated with S. invicta stings (for GAD-7 scale, Pearson Chi-Square test, χ2 = 0.152, df = 1, P = 0.697; for the BAI, χ2 = 2.252, df = 1, P = 0.133; for the PHQ-9, χ2 = 0.098, df = 1, P = 0.754; for the PSQI(5), χ2 = 0.536, df = 1, P = 0.453). In total, 2 of 83 individuals stung by S. invicta met the criteria (>50) for PTSD. However, there was no significant difference on PTSD between those stung by S. invicta in the 30-day group and the over 30-day group (χ2 = 0.318, df = 1, P = 0.573). Overall, our data do not show an effect of S. invicta stings on mental health as measured using a range of indicators.
BACKGROUND The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is a significant urban, agricultural, and medical pest with a wide distribution in the world. Surface or mound treatment using contact insecticide is one of the main methods to control S. invicta. In the present study, cycloxaprid, a newly discovered neonicotinoid insecticide, was evaluated for S. invicta control and compared with two referent insecticides, imidacloprid and bifenthrin. RESULTS Surfaces or sand treated with cycloxaprid, imidacloprid, or bifenthrin caused high mortality of S. invicta workers, and the action of cycloxaprid or imidacloprid was slower than bifenthrin. Like imidacloprid and bifenthrin, cycloxaprid can be horizontally transferred from corpses or live donor ants to recipient ants. In addition, cycloxaprid‐ or imidacloprid‐treated surfaces significantly induced the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and detoxification enzymes; nevertheless, they had no significant effect on the foraging behaviors of S. invicta workers. Also, sand treated with cycloxaprid or imidacloprid did not negatively affect the digging activities of ants. Interestingly, S. invicta workers excavated significantly more sand containing 0.01 mg/kg cycloxaprid than untreated sand in the no‐choice digging bioassays. In addition, extensive nesting activities (sand excavation and stacking) were observed in the flowerpots containing untreated sand or sand treated with cycloxaprid or imidacloprid. On the contrary, bifenthrin significantly reduced the foraging, digging, and nesting activities of S. invicta workers. CONCLUSION Cycloxaprid is a slow‐acting and nonrepellent insecticide against S. invicta workers, and its contact and horizontal toxicities are slightly higher than imidacloprid. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
The red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren, is an invasive pest species worldwide in many countries and regions. At present, its control mainly depends on synthetic insecticides. Although synthetic insecticides have the advantages of efficacy and convenience, their widespread use has a negative impact on the diversity of local arthropods. Ethanol is widely used as a disinfectant and has been consumed by people, but its insecticidal effect has not yet been evaluated. Here, the control effect of ethanol on the RIFA and its toxicity on four fish species were evaluated. The results exhibited that mortalities of all tested adult castes reached 100% after soaking in 70% v/v ethanol solution for one hour. All reproductive and worker pupae survived at 60% v/v ethanol treatment. In the soaking plus fumigation experiment, all adult castes and brood except female pupae were sensitive to 30% v/v ethanol solution. Conversely, female pupae showed the highest resistance to ethanol. More than 60% v/v ethanol concentration was needed to cause its 100% mortality. In the field experiment, 25% v/v and 50% v/v ethanol solution resulted in 70% and 80% reduction of mound 14 d after drench treatment, respectively. The ethanol vapour in the nest soil was higher than 80 ppm after 72 h of mound drench in the field with 25% v/v ethanol solution. Moreover, 30% v/v ethanol solution did not adversely affect the survival of four fish species exposed to the solution for a short time. This study suggests that mound drench can be alternatively employed with ethanol as a green organic solvent to control RIFA.
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