Research Article

Paving Behavior in Ants and Its Potential Application in Monitoring Two Urban Pest Ants, Solenopsis invicta and Tapinoma melanocephalum

Published: N/A

Journal: Insects

DOI: 10.3390/insects14030219

Abstract

Our previous study discovered that two urban pest ants, red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), and ghost ants, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), can pave viscose surfaces with particles to facilitate food search and transport. We hypothesize that this paving behavior can be applied to monitor S. invicta and T. melanocephalum. In the present study, 3998 adhesive tapes, each with a food source (sausage), were placed in 20 locations around Guangzhou, China (181–224 tapes per location), and their efficiency to detect S. invicta and T. melanocephalum was compared with two traditional ant-monitoring methods, baiting and pitfall trapping. Overall, S. invicta was detected by 45.6% and 46.4% of baits and adhesive tapes, respectively. In each location, the percentage of adhesive tapes detecting S. invicta and T. melanocephalum was similar when compared to baits and pitfall traps. However, significantly more non-target ant species showed up on bait and pitfall traps. Seven non-target ant species—Pheidole parva Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole nodus Smith (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole sinica Wu & Wang (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole yeensis Forel (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Carebara affinis (Jerdon) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Camponotus nicobarensis Mayr (Formicidae: Formicinae), and Odontoponera transversa (Smith) (Formicidae: Ponerinae)—also showed tape paving behavior, but they can be easily distinguished morphologically from S. invicta and T. melanocephalum. Our study showed that the paving behavior occurs in different subfamilies of ants (i.e., myrmicinae, dolichoderinae, formicinae, and ponerinae). In addition, paving behavior can potentially be used to develop more specific monitoring methods for S. invicta and T. melanocephalum in urban areas in southern China.

Faculty Members

  • Xuan Chen - Department of Biological Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
  • Jiacheng Cai - Department of Mathematical Sciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA
  • Chengju Du - College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
  • Lei Wang - College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
  • Chao Wen - School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
  • Cai Wang - College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
  • Yan Hua - Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China
  • Xiujun Wen - College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
  • Liming Shen - College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China

Themes

  • Urban pest management
  • Monitoring techniques for invasive species
  • Ant behavior and ecology

Categories

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