Ants Dan Suiter UGA Griffin Campus [email protected]; 770-233-6114 Tawny Crazy Ant Nylanderia fulva (aka Raspberry Crazy Ant, Hairy Crazy Ant, Caribbean Crazy Ant) • Introduced into FL and TX from South America. • Major pest where found (FL, TX, MS, LA, GA). • SC or NC? Not yet Tawny Crazy Ant (aka Raspberry Crazy Ant, Hairy Crazy Ant, Caribbean Crazy Ant) Tawny Crazy Ant Camden County, GA August 2014 Tawny Crazy Ant Camden County, GA August 2014 TCA in Georgia Fall 2017 2013: Albany (Dougherty Cty) 2014: Camden & Glynn Cty 2015: Garden City (Chatham Cty), Quitman (Brooks Cty), Valdosta (Lowndes Cty). 2016 & 2017: None Ant Fauna on the Port of Savannah Benjamin Gochnour [email protected] University of Georgia Department of Entomology Griffin, Ga 30223 23 Oceanic Ports on the West Coast 11 Oceanic Ports (LA/Longbeach #1/#2) in the Northeast 10 Ports on the (NY/NJ #3) Why Study Great Lakes the Ants on a Port? Rich Opportunity for Pest Introductions in the Southeast From American Association of Port Authorities 37 Oceanic Ports in the Southeast aapa-ports.org (Savannah is the 4th Busiest Port in the U.S.) Port of Savannah, GA Ag Inspection Ramp DHS Customs & Border Protection Port of Savannah, GA Ag Inspection Ramp Port of Savannah, GA 4th busiest port in North America Has its own railroad access Currently deepening the port and expanding container storage area Photo: Google Earth Results 46 species in 19 genera 14 are exotic across 10 genera Aphaenogaster carolinensis Crematogaster ashmeadi Pheidole dentata Aphaenogaster fulva Crematogaster atkinsoni Pheidole dentigula Brachymyrmex depilis Crematogaster minutissima Pheidole moerens Brachymyrmex obscurior Crematogaster pilosa Pheidole obscurithorax Brachymyrmex patagonicus Crematogaster pinicola Pseudomyrmex ejectus Brachyponera chinensis Cyphomyrmex rimosus Solenopsis abdita Camponotus castaneus Dorymyrmex bureni Solenopsis carolinensis Camponotus floridanus Hypoponera opaciceps Solenopsis invicta Camponotus impressus Hypoponera opacior Solenopsis picta Camponotus obliquus Lasius alienus Strumigenys eggersi Camponotus pennsylvanicus Linepithema humile Strumigenys membranifera Camponotus snellingi Monomorium minimum Strumigenys ornata Cardiocondyla wroughtonii Myrmecina americana Strumigenys rostrata Cardiocondyla venustula Nylanderia concina Strumigenys silvestrii Nylanderia faisonensis Strumigenys talpa Nylanderia fulva Temnothorax curvispinosus Notable Exotic Species Nylanderia fulva Multiple queens No competition or delineation between colonies Photo: Joe MacGown Mate in the colony (no mating flight) Can number hundreds of thousands in a meter2 Photo: SFGate.com TCA Found @ POS The Tawny Crazy ant June 2015 Eliminates Fire ants! July 2015 to July 2016 1. Pecan Sandie baits 2. Half square meter quadrats July 2015 July 2016 July 2015 October 2015 March 2016 July 2016 July 2015 Expansion from July 2015 to July 2016 Nylanderia fulva Solenopsis invicta July 2016 Expansion from July 2015 to July 2016 Nylanderia fulva Solenopsis invicta Argentine Ant Research Update (some parallels to Odorous House Ants) Daniel R. Suiter Department of Entomology UGA Griffin Campus 1109 Experiment Street Griffin, GA 30223-1797 [email protected] Argentine Ant Biology Complicates Control (Vega and Rust 2003) Materials and Methods . 46 apartment buildings (single-family homes) . Treatments: Gel Baits, Liquid Baits, Sprays . “Area-Wide” treatments---i.e., neighboring structures received the same treatment. Treatment 1 Treatment 2 Control Treatment Treatment 3 Treatment 4 Arilon Spray Results Liquid Spray Trial 1. Talstar (0.03% at 1 gal/1,000 sf) 6-8 ft. band around 9 structures 2. Termidor (0.06% at 1.5 gal/1,000 sf) 1 up & 1 out around 12 structures 3. Arilon-Low (0.05% at 1 gal/1,000 sf) 6-8 ft. band around 7 structures 4. Arilon-High (0.05% at 4 gal/1,000 sf) 6-8 ft. band around 8 structures Argentine Ant Control 100 80 Control 85 60 Talstar 40 20 30 24 0 13 17 -20 -4 -20 -41 -40 -26 -37 Ant Activity Ant -60 -58 -80 -70 Percent Reduction in -100 1 2 3 4 6 8 Week Post-Treament Argentine Ant Control 100 80 95 Control 60 53 Termidor 40 42 28 20 -19 0 13 -20 -14 -40 -26 -20 Ant Activity Ant -37 -60 -58 -80 -70 Percent Reduction Percentin Reduction -100 1 2 3 4 6 8 Week Post-Treatment Argentine Ant Control 100 80 Arilon-Low 60 76 Control 40 56 59 20 35 0 13 -20 -17 -40 -26 -20 -31 Ant Activity Ant -37 -60 -58 -80 -70 Percent Reduction in -100 1 2 3 4 6 8 Week Post-Treament Argentine Ant Control 100 99 80 91 87 79 60 64 56 40 20 Arilon-High 0 13 -20 Control Ant Activity Ant -20 -40 -26 -37 -60 -58 Percent Reduction in -80 -70 -100 1 2 3 4 6 8 Week Post-Treament Gels and Liquid Bait Results (neither worked) Baits were applied in spots 1 ft. off ground and every 10 ft. around building perimeter Gel Spot Ants trail here Gel Spot Baits were applied in spots 1 ft. off ground and every 10 ft. around building perimeter Gel & Liquid Bait Trials PreTrt 2-Wk Post-Treatment 5-Wk Post-Treatment 100 90 90 86 86 82 Treatment 80 80 75 74 70 72 70 62 60 55 57 Trail(s) Present Trail(s) 49 50 47 43 40 30 With Ant With 20 Proportion of Walls In of Walls Proportion 10 0 Liquid A Liquid B Control Gel A Gel B Treatment More Gel BaitGel That Baits Didn’t Work 100 2007 Trial PreTrt 90 2WkPost 80 4WkPost Treatment 70 6WkPost 60 50 40 Ant Trail(s) Present Trail(s) Ant 30 20 with 10 Proportion of Walls in of Walls Proportion 0 Bait A Bait B Bait C Bait D Control Treatment Black Carpenter Ants: Years of Baiting Trials • Chews wood, but does not eat it (sawdust) • Outdoors, nests in trees; create permanent trails • Active at night • Control – Find colony or most likely site; provide gel or granular bait Carpenter Ants Outdoors, carpenter ants nest mainly in large, hardwood trees. Outdoors, carpenter ants nest mainly in large, hardwood trees. Outdoors, carpenter ants nest mainly in large, hardwood trees. Carpenter Ants Construct Permanent Trails Carpenter Ants Construct Permanent Trails Carpenter Ants Forage Mainly at Night 500 4 Ants Li ght 3 400 2 300 1 200 0 Number of Ants 100 Light (lumens/sqft) -1 0 -2 3:00 6:00 9:00 3:00 6:00 9:00 3:00 6:00 9:00 3:00 6:00 9:00 Noon Midnight Time of Day Midnight Deliver Granular & Gel Baits from Piles ON TRAILS or Where Ants are Seen During Day Hardwood Ants foraging indoors Tree from indoors and from nests in trees Permanent Trail Nest in Tree Carpenter ant colony Ants in kitchen 15 ants Ant trail from painted tree to home blue MaxForce Carpenter Ant Bait Gel (0.001% fipronil) MaxForce Gel: Colony Baited July 8, 2011 1,000+ Dead Carpenter Ants Optigard Carpenter Ant Bait Gel (0.01% thiamethoxam) Advion Carpenter Ant Bait Gel (0.05% indoxacarb) Carpenter Ant Baitings Advance Granular Carpenter Ant Bait (0.011% abamectin B1) Carpenter Ant Baitings Borate Bait #1 Carpenter Ant Baitings Borate Bait #2 The Key to Carpenter Ant Control is to Find and Remove the Colony Given The Quality of Today’s Carpenter Ant Baits… …Think Elimination! Bait “Dumping” Mound Ants Formica sp. Mound Ant Baiting: Advance granules and MaxForce gel Mound Ant Baiting: Advance Granules and MaxForce Gel Beware of Bait “Dumping” by Ants This is a Mound Ant Formica sp. Trends in Ant Control: • Natural products • Pheromones • Other behavior-modifying chemicals • Mass Trapping: “Today’s extreme is tomorrow’s norm” • Don’t laugh. Could you have imagined 20 years ago that people would willingly wait in line for a $5 cup of coffee? (1) Pheromone added To Petri dishes (1 of 3 quantities) (2) Response of field-collected ants. J. B. Holloway J. B. Holloway From Choe et al. From Choe et al. Cuticular smells tell workers what do to with dead nestmates and live brood. Can we mimic these smells on an insecticide- contaminated substrate? J. B. Holloway B. Wiltz et al. Argentine Ant Mortality from Handling Fipronil-Killed Nestmates 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% Mortality 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 10 20 30 Temperature control 2% 5% 10% 20% B. Wiltz et al. Trends in Ant Control: • Natural products • Pheromones • Other behavior-modifying chemicals • Mass Trapping: “Today’s extreme is tomorrow’s norm” • Don’t laugh. Could you have imagined 20 years ago that people would willingly wait in line for a $5 cup of coffee? Argentine ants nest in mulch and leaf litter because they retain moisture. Argentine Ants Move Indoors During Winter! Winter-Time Activity of Argentine Ants in a Hospital 1800 1,465 1500 1200 900 629 600 300 0 Nurses in Two Years Two in Nurses Fall/Winter Spring/Summer Number of Complaints by by Complaints of Number (September-February) (March-August) Time of Year Mass-Trapping Argentine ants (1913) (add moisture, heat, and pheromone) Recent Insecticide Trends in Managing Pests in Residential Environments: Go Green! “Green” Pest Control Products …are largely those containing plant essential oils (peppermint, spearmint, cedar). Characteristics of Plant Essential Oils • Contact Toxicity: Low to Moderate in comparison to traditional actives. • Topical Toxicity: Low to Moderate in comparison to traditional actives. Characteristics of Plant Essential Oils • Fumigant Toxicity: Moderate to High in comparison to traditional actives. • Repellency/Deterrency: High in comparison to traditional actives. • Volatility: High in comparison to traditional actives. Question How can Green pest control programs based on a set of actives that show little contact toxicity, are highly repellent, and ephemeral (volatile) be so profitable? Placebo Effect R. B. Bausell, Ph.D. A Placebo is a pharmacologically inactive substance (or procedure) that can have a therapeutic effect if administered to a patient who believes that he or she is receiving an effective treatment.