Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
J Econ Entomol. 2020 Jun 6;113(3):1382-1388. doi: 10.1093/jee/toaa019.
Ants are significant structural and agricultural pests, generating a need for human-safe and effective insecticides for ant control. Erythritol, a sugar alcohol used in many commercial food products, reduces survival in diverse insect taxa including fruit flies, termites, and mosquitos. Erythritol also decreases longevity in red imported fire ants; however, its effects on other ant species and its ability to be transferred to naïve colony members at toxic doses have not been explored. Here, we show that erythritol decreases survival in Tetramorium immigrans Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a concentration-dependent manner. Access to ad-libitum water reduced the toxic effects of erythritol, but worker mortality was still increased over controls with ad-lib water. Foraging T. immigrans workers transferred erythritol at lethal levels to nest mates that had not directly ingested erythritol. Similar patterns of mortality following erythritol ingestion were observed in Formica glacialis Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Camponotus subarbatus Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and Camponotus chromaiodes Bolton (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). These findings suggest that erythritol may be a highly effective insecticide for several genera of ants. Erythritol's potential effectiveness in social insect control is augmented by its spread at lethal levels through ant colonies via social transfer (trophallaxis) between workers.
蚂蚁是重要的结构和农业害虫，因此需要人类安全且有效的杀虫剂来控制蚂蚁。赤藓糖醇是一种用于许多商业食品的糖醇，它可以降低多种昆虫类群的存活率，包括果蝇、白蚁和蚊子。赤藓糖醇还会降低红火蚁的寿命；然而，它对其他蚂蚁物种的影响，以及它在有毒剂量下向幼稚蚁群成员转移的能力尚未得到探索。在这里，我们表明赤藓糖醇以浓度依赖的方式降低了 Tetramorium immigrans Santschi（膜翅目：蚁科）的存活率。自由获取水可以降低赤藓糖醇的毒性作用，但与自由饮水的对照组相比，工蚁的死亡率仍然增加。觅食的 T. immigrans 工蚁将赤藓糖醇以致死水平传递给未直接摄入赤藓糖醇的巢内同伴。在 Formica glacialis Wheeler（膜翅目：蚁科）、Camponotus subarbatus Emery（膜翅目：蚁科）和 Camponotus chromaiodes Bolton（膜翅目：蚁科）中，摄入赤藓糖醇后也观察到类似的死亡率模式。这些发现表明，赤藓糖醇可能是几种蚂蚁的高效杀虫剂。赤藓糖醇通过工蚁之间的社会传递（蜜露）在蚁群中以致死水平传播，从而增强了其在社会性昆虫控制中的有效性。
