Leaf-cutting ants in commercial forest plantations of Brazil: biological aspects and control methods

Vinha, Germano Lopes; Cruz, Ricardo Alcántara‐de la; Lúcia, Terezinha Maria Castro Della; Wilcken, Carlos Frederico; Silva, Edson Dias da; Lemes, Pedro Guilherme; Zanuncio, José Cola

doi:10.2989/20702620.2019.1639596

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Leaf‐cutting ants (LCAs) of the genera Atta Fabricius, 1805 and Acromyrmex Mayr, 1865 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are important pests in forest, agricultural areas and pasture in Brazil and other countries of the Neotropical region 1,2 . LCAs are controlled using toxic baits containing the active ingredients fipronil or sulfluramid; these baits have high efficiency and economic and operational viability 3–5 . The toxic baits consist of a mixture of an active ingredient dissolved in soybean oil and incorporated into an attractive substrate (dehydrated citrus pulp) 6 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contamination routes and mortality of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by the insecticides fipronil and sulfluramid through social interactions

Filho

Camargo

Zanúncio³

et al. 2021

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND Leaf‐cutting ants (LCAs) of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are important pests of forest plantations, agriculture and livestock. Toxic baits containing the active ingredients fipronil or sulfluramid are the main method used to control LCAs. Insecticide dispersion among members of an LCA colony during control with toxic bait is not well understood. The objective of the study was to determine whether self‐grooming, allogrooming or touching behavior among Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers disperses the insecticides fipronil and sulfluramid among members of the colony. The insecticides were topically applied on groups of A. sexdens workers and social interactions between ants with and without insecticide, and group mortality were evaluated. RESULTS Behavioral analysis showed an increase in interaction among LCA workers as the numbers of individuals increased, with touches between workers being the most frequent behavior. The frequency of observed behaviors was higher in groups treated with sulfluramid compared with fipronil. The mortality of groups treated with fipronil was almost twice as high compared with ants treated with sulfluramid. The insecticides are probably dispersed by excessive touching among workers and subsequent self‐grooming and allogrooming. CONCLUSION These behaviors were responsible for the rapid dispersion of insecticides among members of the colony. Corroboration of the hypothesis that social interactions contaminate nestmates is a model for future studies on contamination of ant workers with active insecticide ingredients. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contamination routes and mortality of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by the insecticides fipronil and sulfluramid through social interactions

Filho

Camargo

Zanúncio³

et al. 2021

Pest Management Science

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“…Unlike in many countries [32,36,39], Vietnam has been slow to adopt IPM. For example, IPM has been used for controlling insect pests in Acacia plantations [33] and leaf-cutting ants damaging Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations in Brazil [55,56]. The deployment of IPM for Da.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Needle-Eating Caterpillars Associated with Pinus massoniana and P. merkusii in Vietnam

Quang

Thu

Minh

et al. 2021

Forests

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Pine tussock moth (Dasychira axutha Collenette (Lymantriidae)) and masson pine caterpillar (Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lasiocampidae)) cause serious damage to Pinus massoniana and P. merkusii plantations in Vietnam. An integrated pest management (IPM) program is required to control these pests. Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify damage thresholds and to evaluate control options for implementing IPM in the Northeast and North Central regions of Vietnam. Three damage thresholds were considered: <25%, 25%–50% and >50% loss of leaf area. Control options were manual collection of eggs and pupae and the use of light traps and biological agents. An initial IPM model was developed for each pest and these gave control efficacies of 82.4% (Da. axutha on P. massoniana) and 77.8% (De. punctatus on P. merkusii). Six extended IPM models were undertaken by forest companies giving pest control efficacies of 79.2%–85.9%. The collection of pine resin provides an important source of income to local communities and the resin yield in the IPM models increased by 20.9%–22.7% compared to untreated control plots. The IPM protocols would help in developing policies that promote a more sustainable management of forest pests in Vietnam, thus reducing dependence on the use of insecticides of environmental and public health concerns.

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“…However, leaf-cutting ants can cause serious damage to these plantations, especially at the sapling stage [ 11 ]. The defoliation caused by ants significantly reduces wood production, causing a decrease in tree growth and also making the trees more vulnerable to attack by other pests [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of Escovopsis weberi (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) Mycelial Pellets and Their Effects on Leaf-Cutting Ant Fungal Gardens

et al. 2023

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The maintenance of the symbiosis between leaf-cutting ants and their mutualistic fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus Singer (Moller) is vital for the survival of both species. The specialist fungal parasite Escovopsis weberi Muchovej & Della Lucia is a threat to this symbiosis, causing severe damage to the fungal garden. Mycelial pellets are resistant fungal structures that can be produced under laboratory conditions. These structures were studied for use in biological pest control, but the production of mycelial pellets has not previously been documented in Escovopsis. One of the aims of this study was to induce Escovopsis weberi to produce mycelial pellets and investigate the potential of these pellets for the control of leaf-cutting ants. We compared the pathogenicity of Escovopsis weberi mycelial pellets and conidia against mini-colonies of Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus Forel when applied in the form of baits. Worker ants were able to distinguish mycelial pellets from conidia, as baits with mycelial pellets were more attractive to workers than those with conidia, causing a greater negative impact on colony health. All types of baits containing Escovopsis weberi influenced the foraging activity but only treatments with viable fungal propagules resulted in an increase in the quantity of waste material, with a significant negative impact on the fungal garden biomass. The results provided novel information regarding Escovopsis recognition by worker ants and differences between conidia and mycelial pellet dynamics in leaf-cutting ant colonies, with new perspectives for the biological control of these important pests.

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Leaf-cutting ants in commercial forest plantations of Brazil: biological aspects and control methods

Cited by 16 publications

References 55 publications

Contamination routes and mortality of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by the insecticides fipronil and sulfluramid through social interactions

Contamination routes and mortality of the leaf‐cutting ant Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) by the insecticides fipronil and sulfluramid through social interactions

Management of Needle-Eating Caterpillars Associated with Pinus massoniana and P. merkusii in Vietnam

Production of Escovopsis weberi (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) Mycelial Pellets and Their Effects on Leaf-Cutting Ant Fungal Gardens

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