Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
CSIRO, Health & Biosecurity, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Winnellie, Australia.
Pest Manag Sci. 2021 Jul;77(7):3250-3258. doi: 10.1002/ps.6368. Epub 2021 Mar 27.
Hydrogels that have absorbed a liquid containing a toxicant are a novel form of bait-delivery for ant control. Here, we study the abilities of Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) workers to imbibe liquid from hydrogels. We quantified feeding behavior with: (i) hydrogels containing different sucrose concentrations (20, 30, 40 and 50% w/w); (ii) hydrogels versus liquid droplets; and (iii) hydrogel age (air exposure time). We also performed a field assay to assess visits by L. humile and other ant species to hydrogels.
Ingested volume and feeding time decreased with increasing sucrose concentrations, but the number and duration of pauses were similar. Feeding from hydrogels was slower than from a liquid droplet and ants imbibed less liquid and fed for shorter times from hydrogels. Feeding time increased with hydrogel age, whereas ingested volume decreased and approached zero after 120 min under laboratory conditions. In the field, ants attended the hydrogels during the full 120-min study period. When L. humile workers found a hydrogel, they monopolized it to the exclusion of other ant species. L. humile occupied and dominated hydrogels predominantly in shaded locations.
Hydrogels with sucrose concentrations no greater than 30% appear best for liquid uptake by L. humile. Hydrogels not in direct sunlight will have greater attendance by L. humile and, therefore, less attendance by non-target ant species. Shady and humid places may prolong the longevity of hydrogels, which would imply higher intakes. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
吸收含有有毒物质的液体的水凝胶是一种新型的蚂蚁控制诱饵传递形式。在这里，我们研究了阿根廷蚂蚁（Linepithema humile）工蚁从水凝胶中吸收液体的能力。我们通过以下方法量化了摄食行为：（i）含有不同蔗糖浓度（20、30、40 和 50%w/w）的水凝胶；（ii）水凝胶与液滴；和（iii）水凝胶的年龄（空气暴露时间）。我们还进行了野外试验，以评估 L. humile 和其他蚂蚁物种对水凝胶的访问情况。
摄入体积和摄食时间随蔗糖浓度的增加而减少，但停顿的次数和持续时间相似。从水凝胶中摄取食物的速度比从液滴中摄取食物的速度慢，而且蚂蚁从水凝胶中摄取的液体更少，摄食时间更短。摄食时间随水凝胶年龄的增加而增加，而摄入体积则减少，并在实验室条件下 120 分钟后接近零。在野外，蚂蚁在整个 120 分钟的研究期间都在关注水凝胶。当 L. humile 工蚁发现水凝胶时，它们会将其独占，排除其他蚂蚁物种。L. humile 主要占据和控制阴凉处的水凝胶。
蔗糖浓度不超过 30%的水凝胶最适合 L. humile 吸收液体。不在直接阳光下的水凝胶将有更多的 L. humile 光顾，因此，光顾的非目标蚂蚁物种会更少。阴凉潮湿的地方可能会延长水凝胶的寿命，这意味着摄入量会更高。© 2021 化学工业协会。
