I-Corps: Control of invasive ants using an environmentally friendly bait approach

Texas A&M Agrilife Research, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of an eco-friendly bait for the control of invasive ants. Commercial toxic baits are currently the most efficient way to control invasive ants, but these baits negatively impact native biodiversity due to their lack of specificity. This, in turn, facilitates quick recolonization by invasive ants because no competitors are left to limit their spread. In addition, commercially available baits are incompatible with wet or sunny meteorological conditions as these events deactivate the bait’s active ingredient, and most commercial baits are attractive to ants mainly in spring and summer. The proposed technology provides a solution to these issues by delivering an ant bait formulation and delivery system that is 1) protected from moisture and sun, 2) attractive year-round, and 3) specifically targets invasive and pest ant populations. The proposed technology may allow pest-control companies to service parks and yards at any time of the day or year, yard owners to reduce the amount of insecticide applications per year, and ecosystems to recover through the recolonization of native invertebrate populations. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a formulation for an eco-friendly ant bait and a system to deliver it. The attractiveness of the bait was improved by the characterization of the key macronutrients required by Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta, hereafter RIFA) at different times of the year. Various proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates were tested, alone or in combination to create a bait that is highly attractive to RIFA populations in field conditions. The selected formulation combines the macronutrients that are the most important to the ants during each season, which ensures the attractiveness of the bait remains high at any time during the year. Unlike currently available products, this bait is not broadcasted over the infested area but is placed at the bottom of an opened, small, and biodegradable vial. The delivery of the bait into vials constrains foraging ants to compete for the access to the bait, passively selecting for the most abundant and competitive species: invasive ants. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.