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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #77011
Title: ABUNDANCE OF THE PARASITIC ANT, SOLENOPSIS DAGUERREI, (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) IN SOUTH AMERICA, A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR THE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF THE RED IMPORTED ANT IN THE UNITED STATES.

Author
item BRIANO, JUAN - ARS.S.A. BIOLOGICAL LAB
item CALASTERRA, LUIS - ARS.S.A. BIOLOGICAL LAB
item Wojcik, Daniel
item Williams, David
item BANKS, WILLIAMS - ARS-RETIRED
item JOUVENAS, DONALD - ARS-RETIRED
item PATTERSON, RICHARD - ARS-RETIRED

Submitted to: Biological Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The red and black imported fire ants were introduced into the United States from South America 6-7 decades ago. They are serious medical and agricultural pests in the southeastern States. Chemical control has provided temporary and local relief and is not practical for large areas. The biological control approach for fire ants has been encouraged since mirex bait was canceled in 1978 because of the detrimental impact in the environment and due to efforts to reduce the use of chemicals for insect control. The parasitic ant Solenopsis daguerrei was discovered in Argentina in 1930. It is an obligate parasite of fire ants in South America and has been considered a potential candidate for the biological control of the imported fire ants in the United States. It has been reported that the parasite can kill the host colony by decapitation of the queens and can affect the reproductive potential of the fire ant colonies by causing the inhibition of the production of sexuals. However, this detrimental effect needs to be confirmed. The abundance of this parasite was surveyed in South America and a field site was selected for ecological studies. This paper reports the results of these surveys.

Technical Abstract: The abundance of the workerless parasitic ant Solenopsis daguerrei (Santschi) in fire ant populations was surveyed in southern and southwestern Brazil, eastern, central, and northern Argentina, western and northern Uruguay, central Paraguay and Bolivia from 1974 to 1996. A total of 12,180 fire ant colonies was sampled in 726 collecting sites for the presence of adults and/or queens of the parasitic ant. The presence within the area surveyed was very low (1.4%) In Argentina, S. daguerrei occurred in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Entre Rios, in 1.4 to 7.0% of the colonies. In Brazil, the areas of Dourados, Campo Grande, and Rochedo, Mato Grosso do Sul, contained 1 to 6.2% of parasitized colonies. In Uruguay, less than 1% of the colonies were parasitized. The parasite was not found in Paraguay and Bolivia. A new host (S. macdonaghi Santschi) is reported for the first time for S. daguerrei. A field stie was selected for ecological studies. The low presence in its native areas should not discourage the potential use of this parasite as a biological control agent of imported fire ants in the United States.