Insecticides for suppression of Nylanderia fulva

Authors: CALIBEO, DAWN - Gowan Company; OI, FAITH - University Of Florida; Oi, David; MANNION, CATHARINE - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/28/2017
Publication Date: 8/31/2017
Citation: Calibeo, D., Oi, F.M., Oi, D.H., Mannion, C. 2017. Insecticides for suppression of Nylanderia fulva. Insects. 8(3):93. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030093.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8030093

Interpretive Summary: The tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, is an invasive ant that is a serious pest in the southern United States. Pest control operators and homeowners are challenged to control extremely large crazy ant populations to tolerable levels. Contact and bait insecticides are key components of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for pest ants, however, little is known about their efficacy on the tawny crazy ant. In collaborative studies among researchers from the University of Florida and ARS Gainesville FL, commercial ant control products were evaluated in the laboratory. For products that kill ants on contact, very few provided rapid control, however product containing the insecticides fipronil or a combination of imidacloprid+ beta cyfluthrin killed all ants within 19 days. For ant bait products, tawny crazy ants fed most heavily on baits containing carbohydrates, but the level of mortality depended on the insecticidal active ingredient. Baits containing hydramethylnon or fipronil caused 100% death. These data on the efficacy of commercially available contact and bait insecticides provide valuable guidance for controlling this invasive pest.

Technical Abstract: Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) is an invasive ant that is a serious pest in the southern United States. Pest control operators and homeowners are challenged to manage pest populations below acceptable thresholds. Contact and bait insecticides are key components of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy, however, little is known about their efficacy. In repellency and efficacy bioassays, N.fulva were not completely repelled by any insecticide tested although fewer ants crossed a surface treated with Temprid®. Few insecticides provided rapid control. Termidor® and Temprid® were the best performing with mean mortality of 100% in 13.4 and 19.0 days, respectively. In no-choice bait acceptance studies, it was shown that N. fulva generally had greater acceptance of carbohydrate-based ant baits (Advion®, InTice® (gel) and InTice (granular). However, mortality was low for the InTice baits in a 7-day bioassay. Maxforce® Ant Killer Bait Gel and Advance® 375A in the spring and Maxforce® Complete in the summer and fall required the fewest days to reach 100% mortality. Bait active ingredients that resulted in the highest mortality were hydramethylnon and fipronil. These data on the efficacy of commercially available contact and bait insecticides provide valuable information to manage this invasive pest.