A MORE ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY PREVENTION AGAINST ARGENTINE ANTS

The Las Vegas Valley has many different types of ants – one of them is the argentine ant. There are light to dark brown in color and originated in South America and most likely got here via coffee ships.  They are usually found near moist areas and Argentine ant colonies will mix with each other and form what is called super colonies. Because of the sheer size of these colonies they will drive out other insects. They will eat almost anything but prefer sugars and syrups.

The authors of a new study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology may have found a better, more environmentally friendly way to rid of properties and homes of these pests. The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, is an invasive species that has become a major nuisance in the southwest portion of this country.

One reason why these ants have been so successful they are able to form super colonies. Each single nest contains hundreds of queens, and this allows the ant to form large colonies very easily and to utilize resources were their colonies are located.

The management technique is baiting, where the ants take food mixed with insecticides back to their colony and then expose other ants to the toxins through “trophallaxis,” the sharing of food. This method is more environmentally friendly, but it can be tricky to perfect because the baits need to be palatable, non-repellent, slow-acting and transferable

A team from the University of California - in an effort to improve the baiting technique, decided to try adding ant pheromones to the bait mix

The study found that baits without pheromones reduced ant activity by 42 percent after four weeks, but baits with pheromones reduced ant activity by 74 percent after four weeks

This result came as a bit of a surprise to the authors. “We expected the pheromone-assisted gel bait to attract more ants, but the amount of Argentine ant control in homes was quite remarkable,” said Kevin Welzel, the first author on the paper and a graduate student at UCR.

If you find any ant colonies on your property it is advised to call a pest control professional.

GLOBAL PEST SERVICES in Las Vegas is a licensed pest control company that is qualified to handle all your pest elimination needs. Call our office at 702-657-0091 or go to our web site- to speak with us for all your pest control needs. Get a quote now!

Let us know what’s bugging you….