Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
untreated areas occur fairly soon. Coordin-
ating such neighbourhood treatments is
diffi cult, however, for a number of reasons
including individual differences towards
ant control and pesticide use.
(queens and workers) cannot ingest solid
food particles and rely on the larvae to
partially digest the solid baits brought to
them by the workers. The larvae process the
bait and regurgitate it for the rest of the
colony to consume, thus speeding up the
transfer of the bait throughout the colony.
When baiting, it is important to keep records
of what is done - the amount and type of
bait used, the locations baited, and ant
preventative measures or additional pesti-
cides. This information will be very useful
in case the ants fail to take the bait or if the
bait fails to work as expected.
As mentioned above, baiting may be less
successful and slower when treating highly
polydomous colonies. In such situations, a
thorough inspection to determine colony
boundaries and the location of at least the
main nest is key to achieve good control.
This information can then be used to deploy
the baits at the proper density. As a general
rule, the number of baits should be based on
the size of the structure, the degree of
infestation and the type of bait used. For
liquid baits, 2-4 large capacity bait stations
(~100-200 ml each) should be suffi cient for
a typical single-family home. For gel baits,
several small placements can be made along
foraging trails and nest clusters. Granular
baits should be put out in discrete piles
inside of bait stations that will protect them
from rain and non-target species. Research
has shown that scattering the baits has no
advantage over putting them in larger piles.
In all cases, the baits should be inspected
the day after they are put out to determine
attraction, consumption and any adjust-
ments that might be necessary. Furthermore,
the baits should be placed as close to the
source of ant activity as possible, either next
to nests or along foraging trails.
It is important to decide where the
baiting will take place, either inside or
outside. For some ants, especially those that
are nesting inside (e.g. pharaoh ants), it is
better to bait inside and in close proximity
to the nest(s). For ants that are nesting
outside, but coming inside, it largely
depends on the species. For example, large
colonies of Argentine ants may have to be
baited for an extended period of time to
Baits
Ant baits are an ideal tool for ant control for
a number of reasons, including use of
relatively less active ingredient compared
to perimeter sprays, precise placement, and
protection inside of bait stations that
prevent exposure to people and non-target
animals. Compared to sprays, baiting is a
relatively easy method of treatment to make.
Relative to sprays, however, baits are
typically slow acting and they often result
in partial colony elimination, especially
when treating highly polydomous species
with an extensive network of nests and
trails. As a result, repeated applications
may be necessary to achieve satisfactory
control. For this reason, it is a good idea to
involve the customer (homeowner or
property manager) in ant management.
After all, the customer is uniquely familiar
with where and when the ant problems
occur and is able to respond quickly without
involving the PMP every time the ants show
up inside the structure. The PMPs should
educate the customers about proper bait
application (how, how much and where),
provide the customers with bait and bait
dispensers, and set realistic expectations for
bait treatments. For example, it is important
to explain that ant activity may greatly
increase after the baits are put out and the
ants begin to feed, recruit nest mates and
begin taking the bait back to the colony. The
baits should remain undisturbed during
this time and insecticide sprays, which
would kill workers that are necessary to
take the bait back to the colony and share it
with nest mates, should be avoided.
In addition, PMPs should explain that it
may take at least a day, and up to a few days,
to see results with baits due to delayed
toxicity. Larvae are an essential component
of the 'food chain', especially when solid
baits (e.g. granules) are used. Adult ants
Search WWH ::
Custom Search