Pests June 2012 IP-29

Ant Damage to Banana Fruits by Abdominal Secretions Scot Nelson and Glenn Taniguchi Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences

ome can directly dam- HCO2H. This subfamily of ants age plants and agricultural uses formic acid, which they commoditiesS (Peng and Chris- eject or spray from an acidopore tian 2007); at least two species located at the end of the abdo- of ants in Hawai‘i damage the men, to attack other and skin of banana fruits with their for self-defense. Formic acid abdominal secretions. These is the simplest carboxylic acid ants spray their secretions to and one of the strongest acids protect sap-feeding , known, with a pH between 2 from which they derive sweet, and 3. It can produce painful nutritious honeydew. The forag- injuries to human skin, causing ing ants may also enter a self-de- skin burns and eye irritation of fense mode and spray secretions fieldworkers. In Hawai‘i, the if disturbed by banana cultiva- species that produce formic tion practices that jar the banana acid are Anoplolepis gracilipes; plant, or if they are startled Paratrechina longicornis; Pla- when pesticide sprays impact giolepis allaudi; Nylanderia the banana bunches. The marks vaga; Nylanderia bourbonica; and scars caused by their secre- Lepisiota hi01; Camponotus tions, although they are cosmetic variegatus, and and do not affect the fruit pulp, obscurior. can make the fruits unmarket- Hawaiian apple banana (Dwarf Brazilian ‘Santa On the east side of the Big Catarina’ variety) fruits with the typical symp- able. Here we discuss the ants toms of formic acid injury caused by ants. Also Island, the ant most commonly and the damage they cause to shown along the upper edge of the center fruit associated with banana dam- bananas, and suggest integrated is a slight “corky scab” injury caused by the age is the yellow crazy ant, A. management practices to reduce feeding of flower thrips (Thrips hawaiiensis). The gracilipes. In Hawai‘i, this ant thrips injury, although similar in color, is raised is also known as the longlegged or avoid costly injury. and corky in texture, not smooth and sunken as Ants belong to the family with formic acid injury. ant. Crazy ants have a broad Formicidae, from the Latin word diet. They prey on a variety of formica, meaning ant. They , reptiles, birds, and are arthropods in the order , an order that mammals at soil level and within plant canopies. These also includes sawflies, bees, and wasps. Ant species in sweet-loving pests also feed on plant nectars, and they the subfamily produce formic acid (metha- farm and protect sap-feeding insects, including , noic acid), which has the chemical formula HCOOH or scales, and (Abbott et al. 2012). They infest

Published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in co- operation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under the Director/Dean, Cooperative Extension Service/CTAHR, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822. Copyright 2011, University of Hawai‘i. For reproduction and use permission, contact the CTAHR Office of Communication Services, [email protected], 808-956-7036. The university is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing programs and services to the people of Hawai‘i without regard to race, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran. Find CTAHR publications at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/freepubs. UH–CTAHR Ant Damage to Banana Fruits by Abdominal Secretions IP-29 — Jun. 2012

Ants that produce formic acid are attracted to flower Entire bunches may be damaged by formic acid injury. nectaries and to sap-feeding insects that secrete honeydew. They climb the plants to feed and, when startled, eject formic acid from their abdomens, causing blackened spots and trails.

Startled and disturbed ants scatter over the banana Severe formic acid injury to a hand of bananas in East fingers, spraying formic acid and leaving burnt, sunken Hawai‘i caused by Anoplolepis gracilipes. trails.

2 UH–CTAHR Ant Damage to Banana Fruits by Abdominal Secretions IP-29 — Jun. 2012 banana bunches to feed at flower nectaries and on hon- Affected fruits, and often whole bunches, produced eydew secreted by sap-feeding arthropods. at commercial banana farms in Hawai‘i cannot be sold. When they eject formic acid for offensive or defen- They are destroyed in the field, resulting in an economic sive purposes, damage to agricultural crops can also oc- loss for each affected bunch. Since the edibility of the cur. A. gracilipes can cause cosmetic, or superficial, but fruit is not affected, however, ant-damaged fruits may be nonetheless significant damage to banana fruit bunches found at farmers’ markets in Hawai‘i, though even here when their colonies are disturbed or agitated by bunch the value is reduced if injury is severe. spraying with pesticides or when banana pseudostems re- ceive vibrations through contact with humans or tractors. Management The startled, disturbed ants scramble around, spraying When managing ant pests, suppression is preferable formic acid as they run, which burns the banana skins, to eradication. Another ant species, perhaps an even leaving irregularly shaped, sunken, blackened lesions. worse pest, will usually colonize the niche vacated by Another ant species—the white-footed ant, Techno- an eradicated ant species. Suppression of an ant species myrmex albipes—caused similar fruit damage at a farm can reduce pest injury to acceptable levels while allowing in Waimänalo. However, this canopy-nesting ant belongs the ant to fill the ecological niche. to a different subfamily. These ants are dolichoderines, The following techniques are suggested for manag- known for producing odiferous defensive compounds, ing ants that damage banana fruits in Hawai‘i. Also in- some of which may be either acidic or damaging to plant cluded is some of the rationale behind these approaches. tissues. This ant species mainly secretes benzaldehyde • (Hayashi and Komae 1980), which presumably also dam- Always identify the ant species before starting an ant- aged the banana skins. management program. Ant behavior, biology, ecology, Other ant species in the subfamily Formicinae in and susceptibility to insecticides vary among species. Hawai‘i may also damage banana fruits. For example, For example, T. albipes can spread from plant to alluaudi is a very common ant in plant plant without contacting the ground, so ground- canopies, tending various Hemiptera. Paratrechina based treatments are not effective. Photographs and longicornis and possibly two Nylanderia species may species descriptions are available at www.antweb. also be associated with banana plants. The latter three org (AntWeb 2012) or the Hawaii Ant Lab, www. species, however, are often outcompeted by a few of the littlefireants.com/index_files/ant_key.htm more dominant ant species. They may, therefore, not • Confirm that ants are causing the observed damage. be the main ant species tending sap-feeding insects or Some other insect pests of banana, such as thrips feeding at banana flower nectaries and thus not the spe- or moths, may cause feeding injuries that resemble cies causing the primary damage. A further ant species, the symptoms of formic acid injury caused by ants. Pheidole megacephala, also tends various Hemipterous insects attracted to banana plants and nectaries, but it has • Avoid disturbing the foraging ants within a banana not been observed damaging banana fruit. bunch. Do not jar the by bumping into the banana pseudostem with your body or with tools or Symptoms and Damage equipment. The ants perceive the jarring vibrations The secretions of these ants create dark brown to as a threat, causing them to disperse rapidly and charcoal-black trails and spots on the skins of banana spray trails of formic acid on fruits as they scatter. fruits. The trails are irregular in shape and may be linear, Reduce banana pesticide spraying operations where curved, serpentine, or semi-circular, coinciding with possible, as forceful sprays near bunches can disturb the movement of the running, spraying ants. Spots may the ants. vary in size from 2 to 6 mm in diameter. The trails can be several millimeters wide and up to 12 mm long. All • Control sap-feeding insects in the banana canopy, banana varieties are susceptible. including aphids, scales, and mealybugs. This may include the application of insecticides.

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Affected bunches are left in the field and are not De-flowering the fingers on a banana bunch by plucking harvested. them off and severing the male flowers (the hanging “bell”) will remove the sweet flower nectaries that attract sugar-loving ants in the subfamily Formicinae.

Fruits in bunches should be de-flowered to make them The flowers shown here may attract sweet-loving ants less attractive to foraging ants. that may produce formic acid secretions when disturbed. This “bell” should be severed from the bunch.

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• Use insecticidal baits as appropriate. For instance, Acknowledgements they may not be effective in reducing or destroying The authors thank Fred Brooks and Paul Krushelnycky colonies of A. gracilipes, as ant baits registered for of UH-CTAHR for their thoughtful reviews of this banana in Hawai‘i do not attract A. gracilipes. Test manuscript. a small amount of your intended insecticidal bait to see if the ants will carry it back to their nest before References applying it to a large area. Some organic and back- Abbott, K, Harris, R, and Lester, P. 2012. Invasive Risk yard growers may prefer to use plastic bait stations Assessment: Anoplolepis gracilipes. Biosecurity containing a boric acid solution, but this pesticide is New Zealand. http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/ not registered by the Hawai‘i Department of Agri- pests/invasive-ants/yellow-crazy-ants/yellow-crazy- culture. T. albipes is difficult to control chemically ant-risk-assessment.pdf because the workers do not carry food (or bait) back Ant Web. Subfamily: Formicinae. The California Acad- to the colony. Hence, baits must be very appealing emy of Sciences. http://www.antweb.org/description. to the ants so that large numbers of them will leave do?name=formicinae&rank=subfamily&project=ha the nest and feed on the poisoned bait. waiiants (accessed 8 May 2012) Hawaii Ant Lab, www.littlefireants.com/index_files/ • Destroy nesting habitats for ants that produce formic ant_key.htm acid. Pick up, remove, and compost plant litter such Hayashi, N, and Komae, H. 1980. Components of the ant as banana leaves and fallen pseudostems, as ants secretions. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology such as A. gracilipes form nests beneath the litter 8:293–295. (O’Dowd 2012). Periodically replace the old boric O’Dowd, D. Global Invasive Species Database: Ano- acid or other mixture with fresh bait. plolepis gracilipes. http://www.issg.org/database/ species/ecology.asp?si=110. Centre for Analysis and • Scout areas around banana plants regularly for signs Management of Biological Invasions, Australia & of ants. Smaller and more localized ant colonies are IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) easier to control than larger infestations. (accessed 8 May 2012). • Regularly de-flower young banana fingers and sever Peng, RK, and Christian, K. 2007. Integrated pest man- the male inflorescence (the “bell”). This will remove agement in mango orchards in the Northern Terri- the flower nectaries and thereby make the young tory Australia, using the weaver ant, Oecophylla fruits less attractive to the sugar-loving ants that for- smaragdina, (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a key age on the bunch. A ladder may be needed to reach element. International Journal of Pest Management the developing bunch. 51:149–155. Tenbrink, VL, and Hara, AH. 1992. Technomyrmex albi- • For canopy-nesting ants such as T. albipes, practice pes (Fr. Smith). Crop Knowledge Master. University field sanitation (Tenbrink and Hara 1992). The re- of Hawai‘i at Manoa http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/ moval of touching banana leaves between plants may kbase/crop/Type/technomy.htm slow the spread of the ant in the plantation.

• Another, potentially less harmful ant species that competes for the same ecological niche may natu- rally displace an injurious ant species over time. However, it may be unwise for growers to attempt to introduce a competing ant species to a farm or site without proper training and sufficient understanding of the potential ecological or social consequences, which could be dire.

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