Toward sustainable management of ant-hemipteran mutualism in agricultural settings: a comparison of different approaches

Schifani, Enrico; Giannetti, Daniele; Grasso, Donato A.

doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2023.106468

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…This opens up the use of this method to avoid problems with the build-up of aphid populations in agriculture. 25 This approach applies in cases in which ants are used actively to control pests (for example in fruit plantations), thus leaving only the positive effects of the ants. 21 However, it is also relevant in cases in which omnipresent ants that are not used in biological control programs contribute to the build-up of aphid or other honeydew-producing pest populations in various crops.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the latter case, we have now shown that a promising biological control agent can be manipulated to stay loyal to sugar feeders using morphine and maybe also by using other alkaloids. This opens up the use of this method to avoid problems with the build‐up of aphid populations in agriculture 25 . This approach applies in cases in which ants are used actively to control pests (for example in fruit plantations), thus leaving only the positive effects of the ants 21 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23,24 Thus, the interaction with aphids might be manipulated by artificially offering additional sugar to break the ant-aphid mutualism. 25 Such manipulations have already been utilized in biological control where the feeding of ants with artificial sugar solutions counteracted the mutualism and reduced aphid abundance. 26,27 This method is, however, not effective in all species-specific aphid-ant mutualistic interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies show that ants tending multiple aphids will stop tending and sometimes even start preying on the aphids providing the lowest returns in terms of honeydew quantity and quality 23,24 . Thus, the interaction with aphids might be manipulated by artificially offering additional sugar to break the ant–aphid mutualism 25 . Such manipulations have already been utilized in biological control where the feeding of ants with artificial sugar solutions counteracted the mutualism and reduced aphid abundance 26,27 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Manipulated ants: inducing loyalty to sugar feeders with an alkaloid

Mogensen,

Andersen,

Sørensen

et al. 2024

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUNDWood ants are promising biocontrol agents in fruit plantations as they prey on pest insects and inhibit plant diseases. However, these ants also attend plant‐feeding homopterans to harvest their honeydew secretions thereby increasing their numbers. This problem can be solved by offering ants alternative sugar sources that are more attractive than honeydew. From natural interactions, it is known that some species manipulate mutualistic partners to loyalty by adding alkaloids to the food they offer their mutualists. Inspired by this, the addition of alkaloids might be used to make ants loyal to artificial sugar feeders and thus used to reduce populations of ant‐farmed homopterans in ant mediated biological control. We aimed to explore if wood ants (Formica polyctena) would develop a taste preference to morphine containing sugar solutions in two‐choice laboratory tests.RESULTSAfter having fed on a morphine/sugar solution for one week, ants showed a significant preference for morphine solutions compared to equally concentrated sugar solutions without morphine. Furthermore, ants lost this preference after six to nine days on a morphine‐free diet.CONCLUSIONThe results show that wood ants react to morphine in their food, enabling a chemical manipulation of their behavior most likely through a taste preference. Thus, ants are susceptible to manipulations by mutualistic partners in natural interactions and furthermore may be manipulated artificially in biocontrol programs to avoid ant mediated build‐up of homopteran populations.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Manipulated ants: inducing loyalty to sugar feeders with an alkaloid

Mogensen,

Andersen,

Sørensen

et al. 2024

Pest Management Science

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“…Due to mutualism with aphids, ants have been considered as an indirect pest in agricultural ecosystems. Several measures, such as the use of insecticides (Moreno et al1987;Juan-Blasco et al 2011) or physical barriers preventing ants' access to honeydew producing aphids (Shorey et al 1996;James et al 1997;Oliveira 1997) has been used to control the negative effects of ants on crops (Schifani et al 2024). Many ant exclusion studies show that these measures can reduce plant damage by pests nonproducing honeydew.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of artificial sugar supply on ant-aphid interactions in protected horticulture

Foronda,

Rodríguez,

Soler

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Ant tending aphid colonies reduce the effectiveness of biological control on aphids which is detrimental to the crop plants. However, their mutualistic interaction is complex and, depending on the quantity and quality of the sugar that aphids produce, it may change to a predator-prey interaction. The objective of this study is to test this hypothesis by providing ants with a high-quality sugar supply with the predictions that ants with an extra-sugar source should more often predate on aphids and, therefore, the abundance of aphids on the experimental plants should be reduced. We carried out an experiment on pepper plants, inoculated with the aphid Aphis gossypii in greenhouses with naturally occurring Tapinoma ibericum colonies in three different periods. Our results showed a significant reduction in aphid colonies abundance and greater aphid predation by the ants in plants with an artificial sugar supply. However, the expected effects greatly varied among greenhouses and seasons. A negative effect on aphid abundance was mainly detected in autumn, while a positive effect on ants predating aphids were mainly detected in summer, when a lower ant activity on the plants occurred. Although our experimental results show that the artificial sugar supply changes ant behavior from tending aphids to preying on them, the large variation in the expected effects suggests that some other unconsidered factors influence their strength. Consequently, future advances should focus on detecting factors driving observed variations among study areas and year seasons, to continue research on using biological control for aphids in horticultural protected crops.

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Neighbors sharing pathogens: the intricate relationship between Apis mellifera and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) nesting in hives

Tiritelli,

Giannetti,

Schifani

et al. 2024

Insect Science

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Ants are ubiquitous and eusocial insects that exhibit frequent physical contact among colony members, thereby increasing their susceptibility to diseases. Some species are often found in beehives and in their surroundings, where they exploit the food resources of honey bees. This intricate relationship may facilitate the interspecific transmission of honey bee pathogens to ants, although ants themselves may contribute to spillback phenomena. The objective of this study was to assess the presence and abundance of honey bee pathogens in ants sampled from Italian apiaries. A total of 37 colonies within 24 apiaries across 7 regions were monitored. In total, 6 pathogens were detected in adult ants and 3 in the brood. In particular, the study revealed a high prevalence of honey bee pathogens in ants, with DWV, BQCV, and CBPV being the most commonly encountered. The brood also tested positive for the same viruses. Notably, all analyzed viruses were found to be replicative in both adult ants and ant broods. Furthermore, co‐infections were prevalent, suggesting complex pathogen interactions within ant populations. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in pathogen prevalence and abundance among ant species and sample types. The findings highlight active infection in both the ants and the brood, suggesting a potential role of ants as reservoir hosts and vectors of honey bee pathogens emphasizing the need for further research to understand the implications of interspecific pathogen transmission on ant and bee health.

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Toward sustainable management of ant-hemipteran mutualism in agricultural settings: a comparison of different approaches

Cited by 3 publications

References 97 publications

Manipulated ants: inducing loyalty to sugar feeders with an alkaloid

Manipulated ants: inducing loyalty to sugar feeders with an alkaloid

Effect of artificial sugar supply on ant-aphid interactions in protected horticulture

Neighbors sharing pathogens: the intricate relationship between Apis mellifera and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) nesting in hives

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