| dc.description.abstract | One of the most popular methods for achieving control of the Red Imported Fire
Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is through the use of broadcast baits. Several factors
contribute to bait efficacy, one of which may be particle size. The goals of these
laboratory studies were to determine particle size and bait preference using Advance
Select Granular Ant Bait and Advance Carpenter Ant Scatter Bait, determine the effect
of starvation on bait removal and recruitment to Carpenter Ant Scatter Bait, and
determine if any correlation existed between head capsule width and particle size
selected.
Experimental colonies removed significantly more 1400-2000 μm particles of
Select Granular Ant Bait, while ants foraging on Carpenter Ant Scatter Bait preferred
1000-1400 μm particles. Mean number of ants present at bait mirrored results from bait
removal test. Ants displayed a preference for Carpenter Ant Scatter Bait based on mean
number of ants present at bait for the 10-d foraging period.
For starvation assays, significant differences in bait removal and number of ants
present occurred in the 0-d group. Ants starved for 5 d removed significantly more bait of all particle sizes, and removed greater amounts of 1000-1400 μm Carpenter Ant
Scatter Bait than other sizes.
Head width reliably predicted particle size selected, but the linear model
explained very little of the observed variation for ants foraging on Select Granular Ant
Bait (R2 = 0.043) or Carpenter Ant Scatter Bait (R2 = 0.047). This study supported the
significant role of bait size and starvation period in S. invicta bait preference, and
demonstrated how size preference may vary depending on bait type. | en |
