Development of an effective hydrogel bait and an assessment of community‐wide management targeting the invasive white‐footed ant, Technomyrmex brunneus

Abstract

BACKGROUND Ants are one of the most serious household pests. White‐footed ants in the genus Technomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are invasive species of increasing global importance as evidenced by recent range expansion, nuisance pest status in residential areas and control difficulties driven mainly by lack of effective bait products. The goal for the current study was to develop an effective hydrogel bait and community‐wide management program for controlling the invasive T. brunneus in a residential area of Hachijo Island, Japan. RESULTS In laboratory insecticide screening, hydrogel baits containing thiamethoxam achieved higher T. brunneus mortality than those containing dinotefuran, imidacloprid, boric acid or fipronil at the concentrations tested. Hydrogel baits containing 0.01% and 0.001% thiamethoxam resulted in ≥90% mortality within seven days. However, the horizontal transfer effect was not strong with either concentration. Field experiments confirmed that hydrogel baits containing 10% and 30% sugar are highly attractive to T. brunneus. The community‐wide treatment utilizing hydrogel bait containing 0.001% thiamethoxam and 30% sugar significantly suppressed T. brunneus. Town residents were given the opportunity to participate in the program by applying hydrogel baits around their homes, and a follow‐up survey revealed that the residents regarded hydrogel baits as easy to apply and highly attractive and effective against T. brunneus. CONCLUSION The hydrogel bait and management program developed in this study can be used to suppress T. brunneus. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that a large network of highly motivated and properly trained members of the public can be highly effective in managing invasive ant populations. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Acute toxicity of fipronil to an invasive ant, <i>Lepisiota frauenfeldi</i>

“…37) Again, slow-acting toxic baits are likely to efficacious against invasive ants after their administration because the baits can be a) Indicates populations with different genetic structures 39) brought back to the nest by workers and then shared with nest mates, such as queens and broods. 38) However, given that studies on the horizontal transfer process of slow-acting insecticides in ant nests 13,17) are limited, a further understanding of the efficacy of fipronil is required. Despite the aforementioned high insecticidal effect of fipronil on invasive Le.…”

“…According to Sunamura et al , 13 ) to ensure the effective and rapid eradication of Le. frauenfeldi , workers, which are indispensable for sustaining ant colony organization, should be primarily targeted.…”

“…5,6) For example, Linepithema humile Mayr, 1868 (Argentine ant), Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972 (red imported fire ant), and Wasmannia auropunctata Roger, 1863 (little fire ant) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are considered the world's most damaging invasive species 7) ; thus, their eradication/control is proactively conducted in introduced areas. [8][9][10] Chemical toxicity measures constitute the best tested meth-ods for exterminating nuisance associated with pests, including ants, [11][12][13] even though they cause harm to non-target organisms. 14,15) Further, during the initial stage of invasion, when the distribution ranges of invasive species are narrow, such measures can lead to achievement of rapid eradication at a relatively low cost.…”

“…Chemical toxicity measures constitute the best tested methods for exterminating nuisance associated with pests, including ants, 11 – 13 ) even though they cause harm to non-target organisms. 14 , 15 ) Further, during the initial stage of invasion, when the distribution ranges of invasive species are narrow, such measures can lead to achievement of rapid eradication at a relatively low cost.…”

Termite cuticular extracts improve acceptance of bait for controlling invasive Asian needle ants, Brachyponera chinensis

“…Broadcast application of toxic bait is generally considered the most effective and efficient method of controlling invasive ants over large areas 6,7 and toxic baits have been used to control a wide range of species. [8][9][10][11][12] In theory, ants collect the bait granules, take them back to the colony, transfer the toxicant to colony members through trophallaxis, and eliminate the entire colony. In practice, however, there are many technical obstacles to developing effective baits, and control failures with toxic baits are common.…”