Effect of Scattered and Discrete Hydramethylnon Bait Placement on the Asian Needle Ant

The Asian needle ant (Pachycondyla chinensis Emery) is invading natural and disturbed habitats across the eastern United States. While recent studies document the impact of P.chinensis on native ecosystems and human health, effective control measures remain unknown. Thus, we evaluated the field perf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic entomology 2012-10, Vol.105 (5), p.1751-1757
Main Authors: Rice, Eleanor Spicer, Shik, Jonathan Z, Silverman, Jules
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Ants - drug effects
application methods
Asian needle ant
Biological and medical sciences
Control
control methods
ecosystems
foraging
Foraging behavior
Formicidae
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Generalities
granular bait
Habitat
habitat destruction
HOUSEHOLD AND STRUCTURAL INSECTS
human health
hydramethylnon
Insect Control - methods
Insecticides - pharmacology
insects
North Carolina
Pachycondyla
Pachycondyla chinensis
Pheromones - pharmacology
Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection
Protozoa. Invertebrates
Pyrimidinones - pharmacology
Species Specificity
Time Factors
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Summary:The Asian needle ant (Pachycondyla chinensis Emery) is invading natural and disturbed habitats across the eastern United States. While recent studies document the impact of P.chinensis on native ecosystems and human health, effective control measures remain unknown. Thus, we evaluated the field performance of a hydramethylnon granular bait, Maxforce Complete Granular Insect Bait, dispersed in clumps or scattered against P.chinensis. We also measured the effect of this bait on P.chinensis outside of the treatment zone. Surprisingly, unlike reports for other ant species, we achieved nearly complete P.chinensis population reductions 1 d after treatments were applied. Significant ant reductions were achieved until the end of our study at 28 d. No difference was recorded between clumped and scattered application methods. We found no overall difference in ant reductions from the edge out to 5 m beyond the treatment zone. Other local ant species appeared to be unaffected by the bait and foraging activity increased slightly after P.chinensis removal from treated areas. We suggest that Maxforce Complete Granular Insect Bait can be effective in an Asian needle ant treatment program.
ISSN:0022-0493
1938-291X
0022-0493
DOI:10.1603/EC12207