Effectiveness of Ant Baits and Their Relationship with the Species of Ants Attracted

Authors

  • Sarah Browning Texas A&M University
  • Cora Pauline Garcia
  • Molly Anthony
  • Nicholas Champagne-Aves
  • Emmanuel Gbolabo
  • Christopher Polo
  • Andrew Tran

Keywords:

ants, macronutrient, bait, attractant

Abstract

Insect infestations caused by a single species require control techniques that take advantage of the target’s natural instincts and passively lure them out of hiding. Bait traps commonly mimic the odor of food with chemical substitutes that trick an insect’s senses to passively guide it to the trap.  The purpose of this experiment was to test Texas ant species preferences for a carbohydrate or protein food source. Furthermore, comparisons were made of the data collected from different environments to test for preference differences between isolated populations of the same species. Data collection required three sticky traps; an unchanged control lacking a source of bait, and two others containing either a carbohydrate or protein-rich food source. Placing the traps in varying habitats allowed the testing for an environmental influence on a particular species’ food preference. The results suggest that, among the ant species collected, a majority prefer a carbohydrate food source. While the numbers favor carbohydrates, the specimen collected from the protein and control traps demonstrates an ability to utilize multiple food sources to attract a species and that food attractants improve the success of trapping. This experiment supports the benefit of bait trapping with carbohydrate attractant in ant pest management plans, but also shows that a combination of protein and carbohydrate attractant serves best.

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Published

2022-06-03