Imported Fire Ants, Competitor Ants and Impact of Ant Bait ... · thief ant (S. molesta) and little...

Imported Fire Ants, Competitor Ants Imported Fire Ants, Competitor Ants and Impact of Ant Bait Productsand Impact of Ant Bait Products

Bart M. Drees, Nathan Riggs, Brad Vinson, Bart M. Drees, Nathan Riggs, Brad Vinson, AshaAsha RoaRoa and and PallaviPallavi MokkaralaMokkarala

SS#1411 & CD#14SS#1411 & CD#14

__________________________________________________________________Management Considerations

Red Imported Fire Ant

Competitor Ants Ant Baits

__________________________________________________________________Pest Ant Identification

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Photos by Photos by TAMU TAMU ChaldidoidChaldidoidLabLab

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Red Imported Fire AntRed Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaSolenopsis invictaEat seeds, insects, Eat seeds, insects, proteinsproteinsLives indoors and Lives indoors and outdoorsoutdoors

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__________________________________________________________________Brood and Adult Ants

Multiple queen colony in laboratory

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Caste Developmentand Life Stages

Worker brood & workers

Sexual brood and winged reproductives

Queen & eggs

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Southern Fire AntSolenopsis Solenopsis geminatageminataEats seeds, insects, Eats seeds, insects, sweetssweetsNests outdoorsNests outdoors

Other Fire Ants

Top photo by L. Gilbert Top photo by L. Gilbert showing showing S. S. geminatageminata on on left and left and S. S. invictainvicta on righton right

__________________________________________________________________Other Ant Species

• 291 ant species occur in Texas (O’Keefe et al. 2000)

• Most species are beneficial by preying on other arthropods and tilling soil

• Some species have restricted habitats or do not compete directly with imported fire ants

• Fire ants reduce native and competitor species


Carpenter AntsCarpenter AntsCamponotusCamponotus sppspp..Eats dead insects, other Eats dead insects, other proteinsproteinsNest in wood (indoors & out) Nest in wood (indoors & out)


Texas Leaf Cutter AntsTexas Leaf Cutter AntsAttaAtta texanatexanaEat fungus grown on leavesEat fungus grown on leavesNest OutdoorsNest Outdoors

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Acrobat AntsAcrobat AntsCrematogaster Crematogaster spp.spp.Eat insects, sweetsEat insects, sweetsLive indoors & outLive indoors & out

Other Ant Species

__________________________________________________________________Other Ants Species

• Invades small fire ant colonies (<500 workers)• Can competes with fire ants indoors

Pharaoh (Sugar) AntPharaoh (Sugar) Ant

MonomoriumMonomorium pharaonispharaonis

Eat proteins, sweetsEat proteins, sweets

Nests mostly indoors Nests mostly indoors

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Red Harvester AntsRed Harvester Ants

Pogonomyrmex Pogonomyrmex barbatusbarbatus

Eat seeds, grasses, dead insectsEat seeds, grasses, dead insects

Nest outdoorsNest outdoors

__________________________________________________________________Red Harvester Ant Disappearance

• Harvester ants do not compete directly with imported fire ants; can live side by side temporarily

• Fire ants prey on harvester ants and ultimately may raid the nest

• Fire ants prey on founding harvester ant queens, preventing new colony establishment

• Harvester ant colonies are eliminated by ant bait products like Amdro®

__________________________________________________________________Competitor Ant Species

• Predators of newly mated queen ants• Directly eliminate small ant colonies• Compete for food and nesting resources


• Invades small fire ant colonies (<240 workers)• Squirts venom, steals brood • Small size allows workers to hide and avoid

capture

Thief Ant SolenopsisSolenopsis molestamolesta

Eat insects, proteinsEat insects, proteins

Nest outdoors in other antsNest outdoors in other ants’’nestsnests


• Invades small fire ant colonies (<500 workers or 3 months old); preys on founding fire ant queens

• Uses directed spray of venom to kill 2 fire ants for every Monomorium killed; preys on fire ant brood

Little Black Ant

MonomoriumMonomorium minimumminimum

Eat Insects, SweetsEat Insects, Sweets

Nest OutdoorsNest Outdoors

__________________________________________________________________Predatory and Competitor Ants

Photographs by Asha Rao, TAMULittle black ants attacking fire ant queen


• Preys on founding fire ant queens• Invades small fire ant colonies (<240 workers)• Very aggressive fighters that bite but use no

venom

Pavement Ants (Exotic)Pavement Ants (Exotic)

TetramoriumTetramorium sppspp..

Eat dead insects, Eat dead insects, grease, sweetsgrease, sweets

Nest indoors and outNest indoors and out

__________________________________________________________________Predatory and Competitor Ants

Photographs by Asha Rao, TAMUPavement ants attacking fire ant queen


• Neither invades fire ant colonies nor fights or bites• Suppresses or eliminates fire ant foraging (using

venom) resulting in their colony’s decline• Place dead fire ants around their nests

ForeliusForelius (Cheese) Ants(Cheese) AntsForeliusForelius mccookimccooki

Eats Sweets, ProteinsEats Sweets, Proteins

Nest Outdoors in sunny areasNest Outdoors in sunny areas


• Nest near other ant nests• Appear to feed on dead worker ants• Colonies similar to Forelius sp.

Yellow Pyramid Ant

DorymyrmexDorymyrmex pyramicuspyramicus

Eats live and dead insects, sweetsEats live and dead insects, sweets

Nest outdoorsNest outdoors

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ForeliusForelius (Cheese) Ants (Cheese) Ants with dead ant pilewith dead ant pile

Pyramid Ant

Competitor Ant Species Nests


• Invades small fire ant colonies (<480 workers)• Excellent fighters and biters that recruit big-

headed workers to battle; raid brood and returning to nest with remains of fire ant colony

Big Headed Ants

PheidolePheidole sppspp..

Eat insects, sweetsEat insects, sweets

Live mostly outdoorsLive mostly outdoors


• Invade fire ant colonies (<30 workers)• Workers kills slower-moving fire ant workers• Occasionally become pests after fire ants have been

eliminated using broadcast applied bait products

Crazy AntsCrazy Ants

Pyrotechnic Pyrotechnic longicornislongicornis

Eat insects, grease, sweetsEat insects, grease, sweets

Live indoors and outdoorsLive indoors and outdoors

__________________________________________________________________Effect of Bait on Native Ants

__________________________________________________________________Factors Affecting Bait Specificity

• Active ingredient: metabolic inhibitors like Amdro, insect growth regulators like Logic® or Award®, Distance®, Extinguish®, and nerve toxins like Ascend

• Formulation: attractants like soybean oil or ground caterpillars, and concentration of active ingredient

• Placement: mount treatments versus broadcast application; other treatment patterns

• Timing: seasonal and daily variations in unique foraging habits of ant species

__________________________________________________________________Effects of Ant Baits

• Mortality of worker ants (metabolic inhibitors like Amdro®) and other colony components

• Egg production reduced or eliminated and shift in larval development to winged reproductives (insect growth regulators like Logic® or Award®, Distance®, Extinguish®

__________________________________________________________________Impact of Insecticide Baits

• Bait removed in 1 hour from 250 mg provided to the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), thief ant (S. molesta) and little black ant (M. minimum)

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Untreated Amdro Logic

S. invictaS. molestaM. min.

Untreated = defatted corn grit without toxicant


• Worker ant mortality within 2 months by the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), thief ant (S. molesta) and little black ant (M. minimum)

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• Egg productionwithin 2 months by the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), thief ant (S. molesta) and little black ant (M. minimum)

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__________________________________________________________________Conserving Competitor Ants

• Take care when using broad spectrum insecticides or broadcast bait products where native or exotic competitor (fire ant predator) ants are desired

• Use only individual fire ant mound treatment methods, and avoid treating nests of desirable ants

• In areas with 20 or more imported fire ant mounds per acre (5 mounds per ¼ acre yard), broadcast application of fire ant bait product may actually help restore native ant communities by suppressing or eliminating fire ants

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Habitat Manipulations:“Ant Farming”

• Imported fire ants favor disturbed habitats(construction, flooding or some types of insecticide use), whereas stable, diverse habitats favor competitor ant species

• Create or leave nesting sites like rocks, landscape timbers, grass clumps

• Know the native ants in your area and their habitat preferences (shade versus open nesting species)

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Fire Ant Management Considerations

• Tolerance for ants: In some areas any ant is considered pests; some species are truly pestiferous and should be managed

• Cost and labor of applying ant control products:Current fire ant control products require periodic re-application

• Control objectives: Although competitor ants may provide biotic resistance, but have historically been suppressed or eliminated by red imported fire ant invasions

__________________________________________________________________Thank You

• Be part of managing red imported fire ants by practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and help educate your friends and neighbors

• Support research, education and regulatory programs

Imported Fire Ants, Competitor Ants and Impact of Ant Bait ... · thief ant (S. molesta) and little...

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