Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag XI, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
Ecol Appl. 2012 Jul;22(5):1405-12. doi: 10.1890/11-2002.1.
Effective management of invasive ants is an important priority for many conservation programs but can be difficult to achieve, especially within ecologically sensitive habitats. This study assesses the efficacy and nontarget risk of a precision ant baiting method aiming to reduce a population of the invasive big-headed ant Pheidole megacephala on a tropical island of great conservation value. Area-wide application of a formicidal bait, delivered in bait stations, resulted in the rapid decline of 8 ha of P. megacephala. Effective suppression remained throughout the succeeding 11-month monitoring period. We detected no negative effects of baiting on nontarget arthropods. Indeed, species richness of nontarget ants and abundance of other soil-surface arthropods increased significantly after P. megacephala suppression. This bait station method minimized bait exposure to nontarget organisms and was cost effective and adaptable to target species density. However, it was only effective over short distances and required thorough bait placement. This method would therefore be most appropriate for localized P. megacephala infestations where the prevention of nontarget impacts is essential. The methodology used here would be applicable to other sensitive tropical environments.
有效管理入侵蚂蚁是许多保护计划的重要优先事项，但在生态敏感栖息地实施可能较为困难。本研究评估了一种旨在减少具有重要保护价值的热带岛屿上入侵大头蚁 Pheidole megacephala 种群的精准蚂蚁毒饵法的功效和非靶标风险。在大面积范围内使用毒饵站投放致命毒饵，导致 8 公顷的 P. megacephala 迅速减少。在随后的 11 个月监测期间，有效抑制一直持续。我们没有发现毒饵对非靶标节肢动物有任何负面影响。事实上，大头蚁被抑制后，非靶标蚂蚁的物种丰富度和其他土壤表面节肢动物的数量显著增加。这种毒饵站方法最大限度地减少了毒饵对非靶标生物的暴露，具有成本效益，并且可以适应目标物种密度。然而，它仅在短距离内有效，并且需要彻底放置毒饵。因此，这种方法最适合于需要防止非靶标影响的局部大头蚁感染地区。此处使用的方法适用于其他敏感的热带环境。
