Sugar provisioning for ants enhances biological control of mealybugs in citrus

Pérez-Rodríguez, Jésica; Pekas, Apostolos; Tena, Alejandro; Wäckers, Félix

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2021.104573

Cited by 28 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…These species, however, can prey upon pests in the soil. For example, Pérez-Rodríguez et al (2021) shows that the terrestrial ant Aphaenogaster iberica Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is the main predator of C. capitata pupae in the soil of a citrus orchard. This is likely because the diet of A. iberica is more dependent on protein rather than on carbohydrates compared to arboreal ants (Pérez-Rodríguez et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Pérez-Rodríguez et al (2021) shows that the terrestrial ant Aphaenogaster iberica Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is the main predator of C. capitata pupae in the soil of a citrus orchard. This is likely because the diet of A. iberica is more dependent on protein rather than on carbohydrates compared to arboreal ants (Pérez-Rodríguez et al, 2021). Finally, it is worth mentioning that, that pest pupae that spend more time in the soil also have higher rates of predation by ants (Bownes et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This resulted in higher abundance of natural enemies in the aphid colonies and a faster reduction of the size of aphid colonies as compared to control trees that received no sugar dispensers. This method has recently been used to successfully increase parasitism rates of the mealybug P. citri by the parasitoid A. vladimiri and to increase the predation of C. capitata pupae in the soil by ants (Pérez-Rodríguez et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

et al. 2021

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

et al. 2021

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“…Regarding ecosystem services, a significantly higher colony parasitisation in sugar dispenser plots in comparison with controls was recorded. Similarly, Pérez-Rodríguez et al [26] found higher Planococcus citri (Risso) parasitism in citrus trees with sugar-feeders on the branches compared to control trees. In our trial, a tendency of higher mealybug parasitization was also found in dispenser treatment on randomly-collected bunches, but this difference was not significant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Use of Sugar Dispensers to Disrupt Ant Attendance and Improve Biological Control of Mealybugs in Vineyard

Parrilli

Profeta

Casoli

et al. 2021

Insects

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Planococcus ficus (Signoret) and Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) are economically important pests occurring in vineyards, causing severe economic losses for growers and compromising bunch production. The partial effectiveness of insecticides used in controlling mealybug infestations as well as their high impact on the environment and on human health have led to the research of alternative and sustainable control methods, including biological control. Several natural enemies are reported to be effective against mealybugs, but their activity may be hindered by tending ants. These social insects are known to exhibit a mutualistic relationship with mealybugs, resulting in extremely aggressive behavior against beneficial insects. Consequently, this study explored a method to mitigate ant attendance by means of sugar dispensers in order to improve ecosystem services, as well as decrease mealybug infestation in vineyards. Field trials were carried out in four commercial vineyards of Northern Italy infested by mealybugs, in which Anagyrus vladimiri Triapitsyn (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were released as biological control agents. Our results showed that sugar dispensers reduced ant activity and mealybug infestation, leading to a significant enhancement of ecosystem services. The technique showed a great potential in boosting biological control against mealybugs in field conditions, though the field application seemed to be labour intensive and needs to be replicated for a multi-year evaluation.

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“…Although ants consume many kinds of food, food selection may be affected by internal demand and the external environment. For example, the rapid growth of ant colonies increases the demand for high-protein food, which may be obtained by predating other insects [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey Status Affects Paralysis Investment in the Ponerine Ant Harpegnathos venator

Nie

Zhao

Chen

et al. 2021

Insects

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The paralysis behavior of some ponerine ants when foraging may be important for food storage and colony development. However, how workers invest in paralysis under different prey circumstances is often overlooked. Here, we report the prey-foraging behavior and paralysis behavior of Harpegnathos venator under different food supply conditions. Solitary hunting was the main foraging mode of H. venator, with occasional simple collective hunting. Nymphal cockroaches with high activity were the most attractive to H. venator. In the experiment, we found that the stings of H. venator completely paralyzed the cockroaches. The stinging time was significantly longer at a higher prey activity level and for larger cockroaches. In addition, there was no significant difference in the stinging time of H. venator for different prey densities. The results showed that the longer similar cockroaches were stung, the longer it took for them to revive and move. These results are helpful for further understanding the behavioral mechanism underlying the food storage of live prey by predatory insects.

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Sugar provisioning for ants enhances biological control of mealybugs in citrus

Cited by 28 publications

References 50 publications

Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

Ants affect citrus pests and their natural enemies in contrasting ways

Use of Sugar Dispensers to Disrupt Ant Attendance and Improve Biological Control of Mealybugs in Vineyard

Prey Status Affects Paralysis Investment in the Ponerine Ant Harpegnathos venator

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