National Invasive Ant Surveillance Programme Annual Report 2017
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PLANTS AND ENVIRONMENT National invasive ant surveillance programme annual report 2017 Introduction days or weeks before being retrieved and The National Invasive Ant Surveillance contents examined. programme (NIAS) detects newly Twenty-three traps were deployed in established exotic ant species in the multi-cargo area of the Ports of New Zealand and provides information Auckland for 27 days (26 January–22 on range extensions of species already February 2017), giving an effective known to be established. Ants are widely total of 621 trap-days. This was done dispersed through human activity and to test the practical application of these commonly intercepted in air and sea traps for further use on an ongoing cargo including fresh produce, timber, basis. The multi-cargo area is a known sea containers and personal baggage. Figure 1: NIAS protein pottle deployed at Auckland International Airport, with native Iridomyrmex hot spot for exotic ant activity (FBA They are major urban pests, invading suchieri workers foraging on bait (Photo: Paul Consulting 2016), and is also the type homes, shops, cafes, etc., where food Craddock, Flybusters Consulting Ltd) of environment the traps were designed is readily available. They also threaten to monitor. Pottle surveillance was also natural biodiversity by displacing native undertaken in the area where the traps invertebrate species and encouraging were deployed, to compare dome trap horticultural pests. Invasive ants such as performance with pottle surveillance. Singapore ant (Trichomyrmex destructor GPS locations and associated data are = Monomorium destructor) gnaw holes in recorded on hand-held data loggers. fabric and rubber goods, remove rubber All samples are tracked electronically insulation from electric and phone lines, from the field to identification in the and damage polyethylene cables. Cars laboratory. Pottles and the dome traps parked overnight in infested areas can fail are sent to the Flybusters Antiants to start the next day after the ants have Consulting Ltd diagnostic laboratory for shorted ignition systems (Global Invasive Figure 2: Surveying at the Port of Auckland during initial identification. Suspect exotic ant Species database, 2017). NIAS, 2016 (Photo: Paul Craddock, Flybusters Consulting Ltd) specimens are sent to MPI’s Plant Health High-risk sites for ant entry are and Environment laboratory (PHEL) determined by pathway and site risk (Tamaki) for validation of ID. Once an analyses undertaken annually. High- exotic ant find has been validated, an risk sites include seaports, airports, investigation is initiated to track down sea container storage and repair sites and eradicate nests near the location of and Transitional Facilities that receive the original find. international freight. Sites are then scheduled to be surveyed from mid- Results summer to early autumn each year. In the 2017 season, 44 618 pottles were The identified risk sites are surveyed deployed, with 13 pottles recording new by ground teams co-ordinated by Figure 3: Dome trap deployed on Jellicoe Wharf at exotic ants. Of these, 9 were confirmed AsureQuality Ltd. Small plastic pottles, Ports of Auckland (Photo: Paul Craddock, Flybusters from active established nests (Table 1) . Consulting Ltd) alternately baited with carbohydrate Four dome traps caught exotic ants, and (sugar solution) or protein (peanut of these one was confirmed to be from butter, oil and sausage meat) (Figure 1) Auckland. These traps consist of a base an active established nest (Table 2). section containing a glycol-filled capture are placed in grid formation. Additional Pottle deployment varies from year to chamber coated with Teflon and three pottles are used to collect live ants where year owing to variations in site selection types of attractive baits (honey, peanut these are found by visual inspection. and weather. Climate is a significant butter and shrimp paste), with a plastic Pottles are left out at each site for factor that affects ant distribution, dome cover over the top (Figure 3). Ants about two hours under favourable behaviour and the number and size attracted to the baits fall into the capture environmental conditions to maximise of nests. The environmental factors chamber and are preserved in the glycol. the number of foraging ants collected to which ants are sensitive include air The general principle is the same as with while also reducing the risk of the bait and soil temperature, rainfall and soil a pitfall trap but the capture chamber is drying out and becoming less attractive moisture deficit. Accordingly, favourable raised up and housed in a unit that can to ants (Figure 2). conditions during the lead-up to the be deployed on hard surfaces (i.e., no surveillance period have been implicated For the first time in 2017, dome-type ground excavation is required). These as a cause of increased interceptions: ant traps (a long-term trapping system) traps can be left deployed for a period of were used on a trial basis at the Ports of the presence of more nests means more SURVEILLANCE 44 (3) 2017 61 TABLE 1: Location and numbers of ant detections in pottles during port a hot spot for invasive ants? New Zealand Plant Protection 66, 10–16. NIAS, 2017 Species Location No of nests found Porter SD (1988). Impact of temperature on colony growth and development rate of the ant Paratrechina longicornis Opua Marina, Northland 1 Solenopsis invicta. Journal of Insect Physiology Paratrechina longicornis Ports of Auckland 0 34(12), 1127–1133. Paratrechina longicornis Ports of Auckland 0 Paratrechina longicornis LPC City Depot, Christchurch 0 Lora Peacock *Trichomyrmex destructor Port Nelson 1 Senior Adviser +Monomorium dichroum Port of Tauranga 1 Surveillance and Incursion Investigation CSL Containers, Auckland 2 Tapinoma melanocephalum (Aquatic and Environment Health) Monomorium dichroum Port of Tauranga 0 Diagnostic and Surveillance Paratrechina longicornis Port of Tauranga 0 Services Directorate Tapinoma sp. Port of Timaru 1 Ministry for Primary Industries Paratrechina longicornis Ports of Auckland 1 [email protected] Paratrechina longicornis Opua Marina, Northland 1 Paratrechina longicornis Ports of Auckland 1 * Previously known as Monomorium destructor (D. Gunawardana, Lester Mattson pers. comm.) Auditor + Monomorium dichroum was identified as Monomorium sp., AsureQuality Limited (D. Gunawardana pers.comm) [email protected] TABLE 2: Location and numbers of ant detections in dome traps at Ports of Paul Craddock Auckland during NIAS, 2017NIAS, 2017 Operations Manager Species Trap number No of nests found Flybusters/Antiants Paratrechina longicornis, 2 0 [email protected] Tapinoma melanocephalum Tapinoma melanocephalum 5 0 Paratrechina longicornis 8 1 Deirdre Nagle Paratrechina longicornis 12 0 Surveillance Manager, Biosecurity AsureQuality Limited Deirdre. [email protected] interceptions are likely (Gunawardana indicum, Paratrechina longicornis et al., 2013; Browne et al., 2012; (crazy ant), Trichomyrmex destructor Porter, 1988). (Monomorium destructor – Singapore ant) and M. dichroum. All these ants and The weather from winter 2016 to their associated nests were destroyed. The summer 2017 was considered to be 2017 season again demonstrates the value good for supporting ant populations. In of early intervention in preventing the particular, the mild winter and spring of establishment and spread of exotic ant 2016 will have encouraged ant activity species in New Zealand. and nest expansion in early spring/ summer. Summer was more variable, References with dry patches and cooler temperatures Browne G, Craddock P, Mattson L (2012). slowing ant activity somewhat. Anecdotal National Invasive Ant Surveillance Programme observations showed that ant activity Annual Report: 2012. Unpublished report began earlier in spring this season, prepared by FBA Consulting & AsureQuality Ltd for the Ministry for Primary Industries, June but then had a late summer hiatus as 2012. the weather was more variable. Mixed weather over January also meant more Global Invasive Species database (2017) http:// www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=9 interruptions of NIAS field operations 60&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN. Accessed 04 July than usual. 2017 Four exotic species were recorded in Gunawardana DN, Peacock LR, Flynn AR, pottles (Table 1), including Monomorium Ashcroft TT, Green OR (2013). Why is Napier sea 62 SURVEILLANCE 44 (3) 2017.