Author
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Klotz, John |
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Williams, David |
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Submitted to: Pest Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 7/13/1995 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Baits are ideal for ant control. To be effective they must be slow-acting, recruitment. For a successful bait control program. The pest control operator should include a pre-inspection survey using peanut butter or honey as bait, you both the inside and outside of the account. In addition, the client should be informed of the importance of good sanitation, so that other food sources are not available to the ants. For fire ant baits, insect growth regulators are excellent toxicant. IGRs will soon be available for Pharaoh ant control as well. Placement of these baits is critical for control: they must be located along ant trails and as close to the nest as possible. Finally, due to the changing food preferences of ants, the pest control operator should be ready to switch to another kind of bait if necessary. Technical Abstract: In chemical pest control, baits are becoming increasingly important, especially for social insects such as ants where they have proven to be particularly useful. From previous work by others with leaf-cutter and fire ants, we know the importance of using delayed-action toxicants in ant baits. These slow acting poisons allow time for the ants to share their food and spread the poison throughout the colony before it begins to kill them. In order to be effective, a bait has to attract. Therefore it is important to use baits that are fresh and contain attractive ingredients. Proper placement of baits is critical for their success. For maximal effect, they should be placed where ants are most likely to encounter them, such as near utility lines, or the chemical trails that the ants are following to and from their nest. |
