How to translate text using browser tools
1 June 2008 Testing Baits to Control Argentine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Vineyards
Kent M. Daane, Monica L. Cooper, Karen R. Sime, Erik H. Nelson, Mark C. Battany, Michael K. Rust
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Liquid baits were evaluated for control of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and associated mealybug and soft scale pests in California vineyards. In 2003, liquid baits with small doses of imidacloprid, boric acid, or thiamethoxam dissolved in 25% sucrose water resulted in lower ant and mealybug densities and fruit damage, compared with an untreated control. Similar treatments in a soft scale-infested vineyard showed only a reduction of ant density and fruit infestation in only the boric acid and thiamethoxam treatments. In 2004, commercial and noncommercial formulations of liquid baits reduced ant densities in three separate trials, but they had inconsistent effects on mealybug densities and fruit infestation; granular protein bait had no effect. Using large plots and commercial application methodologies, liquid bait deployed in June resulted in lower ant density and fruit infestation, but it had no effect on mealybug density. Across all trials, liquid bait treatments resulted in lower ant density (12 of 14 trials) and fruit damage (11 of 14 sites), presenting the first report of liquid baits applied using commercial methodologies that resulted in a reduction of ants and their associated hemipteran crop damage. For commercialization of liquid baits, we showed that any of the tested insecticides can suppress Argentine ants when properly delivered in the crop system. For imidacloprid, bait dispensers must be protected from sunlight to reduce photodegradation. Results suggest that incomplete ant suppression can suppress mealybug densities. However, after ant populations are suppressed, there may be a longer period before hemipteran populations are effectively suppressed. Therefore, liquid baits should be considered part of a multiseason program rather than a direct, in-season control of hemipteran pest populations.

Kent M. Daane, Monica L. Cooper, Karen R. Sime, Erik H. Nelson, Mark C. Battany, and Michael K. Rust "Testing Baits to Control Argentine Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Vineyards," Journal of Economic Entomology 101(3), 699-709, (1 June 2008). https://doi.org/10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[699:TBTCAA]2.0.CO;2
Received: 30 August 2007; Accepted: 13 January 2008; Published: 1 June 2008
JOURNAL ARTICLE
11 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Argentine ant
Linepithema humile
liquid baits
Pseudococcidae
vineyards
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top