Alternative Methods of Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Control with Emphasis on the Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), especially the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), can be significant nuisance pests in urban and suburban environments. Conventional interventions have primarily relied on the use of chemical insecticides, namely fipronil and bifenthrin, applied as residual, contact treatments around the outside perimeter of infested structures. Despite tightening regulation limiting the scope of insecticide applications in urban settings, dependence on these products to manage ants continues, resulting in significant water contamination. The U.S. EPA, in response, has further restricted the use patterns of many insecticides used for ant control in professional and over-the-counter markets. The purpose of this review is to summarize the relevant literature associated with controlling nuisance pest ants, with emphasis on L. humile, without the use of liquid broadcast applications of EPA-registered insecticides while focusing on low-impact, alternative (to broadcast applications) pest control methods. Specific subsections include Trail Pheromone; Use of Behavior-Modifying Chemicals; Mass Trapping; Hydrogels, “Virtual” Baiting, and Exceedingly-Low Bait Concentrations; Food Source Reduction; Deterrents; and RNA Interference (RNAi).

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Use of an Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile, Semiochemical to Deliver an Acute Toxicant

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects9040171 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 171

Author(s):

Benjamin Gochnour ◽

Daniel Suiter ◽

Jerry Davis ◽

Qingguo Huang

Keyword(s):

Methylene Chloride ◽

Linepithema Humile ◽

The United States ◽

Argentine Ant ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Argentine Ants ◽

Property Owners ◽

Methylene Chloride Extract ◽

Ant Control

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, is an invasive nuisance, agricultural, and ecological pest from South America. In the United States, its primary distribution is in California and the Southeast. The structural pest control industry responds to property owner complaints when this ant’s populations become problematic and a persistent nuisance. Actions taken to control Argentine ants in the urban and suburban environment are typically complaint-driven, and often involve the application of insecticide sprays applied to the outdoor environment by professional pest managers. In California, and elsewhere, spray treatments of various residual insecticides by property owners and pest management professionals has resulted in significant runoff and in subsequent surface water contamination. As a result, an immediate need exists to develop alternative methods of ant control targeted at reducing environmental contamination. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for the development of an alternative method of toxicant delivery focused on the Argentine ant’s behavior modifying cuticular chemistry. In short, methanol and hexane washes of Argentine ant pupae applied to paper dummies were handled significantly more by worker ants than the paper dummies that did not contain the solvent extracts. Additionally, paper wicks soaked in a methylene chloride wash from Argentine ant cadavers, air dried, and then treated with fipronil, were removed by worker ants and placed on a midden pile at the same rate (≈86% to 99% removal at 1 h) as untreated and fipronil-treated ant cadavers. The paper wicks that did not contain the methylene chloride extract were ignored by the worker ants. After three days, the mortality of the ants exposed to the fipronil-treated wicks or the ant cadavers were dose-related. In conclusion, our study suggests that there is potential for the use of ant semiochemicals for the delivery of acute toxicants.

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Identification of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) using an artificially synthesized trail pheromone and its effects on native Japanese ants

Applied Entomology and Zoology ◽

10.1007/s13355-019-00663-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 141-147

Author(s):

Koji Nishisue ◽

Satoshi Koyama ◽

Toshiyuki Satoh

Keyword(s):

Trail Pheromone ◽

Linepithema Humile ◽

Argentine Ant

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Trail Pheromone of the Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0045016 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (9) ◽

pp. e45016 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Dong-Hwan Choe ◽

David B. Villafuerte ◽

Neil D. Tsutsui

Keyword(s):

Trail Pheromone ◽

Linepithema Humile ◽

Argentine Ant

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Impact of selenium on mortality, bioaccumulation and feeding deterrence in the invasive Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.060 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 481 ◽

pp. 446-452 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Deborah G. De La Riva ◽

Beatriz G. Vindiola ◽

Tracy N. Castañeda ◽

David R. Parker ◽

John T. Trumble

Keyword(s):

Linepithema Humile ◽

Argentine Ant ◽

Feeding Deterrence

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Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae)

Encyclopedia of Entomology ◽

10.1007/978-1-4020-6359-6_10333 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 288-291

Author(s):

George Hangay ◽

Severiano F. Gayubo ◽

Marjorie A. Hoy ◽

Marta Goula ◽

Allen Sanborn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Linepithema Humile ◽

Argentine Ant

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Opportunities and Questions: A Short Report on Rubric Assessments in Asia and the Middle East

10.31235/osf.io/p9tjc ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ronnie Goodwin

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Learning Theories ◽

Short Report ◽

Rating Systems ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

The Impact

This qualitative short report considers the viability of the use of rubrics or alternative methods to assess writing in Asia and the Middle East. The background of learning theories, assessment types, and self-assessment literature provides a foundation for further discussion of the appropriate use of rubrics, including the prioritization of criterion, the quality of scoring, the impact of organizational features on scoring, the influence of bias, and the best application of rubric assessment. Relevant points for further study are identified, such as differentiation in research between generalized analytical rating systems and rubric assessment with specific, empirical criterion. The contradictory research regarding the advantages and disadvantages of rubric assessment in comparison with holistic assessment are of particular and crucial interest for global pedagogy. Many of the reviewed Western articles excluded Asian perspectives- except for China- and thus present a limited understanding of social and educational compatibility with new assessments and rubric assessments in particular. The discussion identifies patterns and points of contention and seeks to explore viewpoints rather than limit the scope of inquiry and consideration thus noting that relevant literature suggests that with appropriate teacher training, teachers may appropriately use rubrics as a formative assessment tool for writing in Asia and the Middle East.

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Update on the invasion status of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868), in Madrid, a large city in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula

Journal of Hymenoptera Research ◽

10.3897/jhr.85.65725 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 85 ◽

pp. 161-177

Author(s):

Diego López-Collar ◽

Francisco J. Cabrero-Sañudo

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Necessary Conditions ◽

Large City ◽

Linepithema Humile ◽

Argentine Ant ◽

Invasive Ant ◽

Personal Communications ◽

Great Capacity ◽

Green Areas ◽

The City

New geolocated records of the invasive ant Linepithema humile (Mayr, 1868) are added to the previous references for the city of Madrid and its surroundings, and the possible causes of the occurrence and permanence of this species in urban areas are discussed. The data collection corresponds to a series of samplings carried out for the last three years in green areas of the city, bibliographic searches, citizen science platforms and personal communications. To date, eleven locations in the urban area of Madrid and four points outside the city have been registered. The city of Madrid is undergoing a colonisation by the Argentine ant, although it is not widespread yet, since observations over time and space are isolated and apparently unrelated. However, this species has a great capacity to disperse and establish new colonies, mainly human-mediated through the transport of goods, plants, gardening tools, etc. Considering the numerous colonizable urban green areas in the city that can provide the necessary conditions for its expansion, the Argentine ant should not be underestimated, and immediate action is strongly recommended.

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