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Student 10-Minute Presentation

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Student

Student Competition

Undergrad 10-min Competition: MUVE and PBT, Behavior, Pollinators, and Chemical Ecology

Indirect suppression of pharaoh ant colonies via horizontal transmission of bait toxicants targeting German cockroaches

Monday, November 11, 2024
8:36 AM – 8:48 AM MST
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 226 C, PCC
Oral Presentation Student Competition

Indirect suppression of Pharaoh ant colonies via horizontal transmission of bait toxicants targeting German cockroaches




David Xingwei Feng, Allen Zhao, Dong-Hwan Choe, Michael Rust and Chow-Yang Lee


Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521.



We investigated the suppression of Pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.), colonies through indirect exposure to bait toxicants used against another significant indoor urban pest, the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). Initially, test cockroaches were targeted with baits containing various active ingredients (0.5% fipronil, 0.6% indoxacarb + 0.1% novaluron + 0.1% pyriproxyfen, 0.5% clothianidin + 0.5% pyriproxyfen, and 0.5% dinotefuran). Following the mortality of the cockroaches, the bait was removed, and a M. pharaonis colony was allowed to access the previously baited area, now containing cockroach carcasses, feces and insecticide contaminants, and an untreated control area offering standard food source and water. The experiment monitored several parameters including worker ant mortality, foraging behavior, and brood weight weekly up to 12 weeks. Results indicated a significant suppression of the M. pharaonis colonies, with their foraging into the insecticide-contaminated area.