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In Switzerland Tapinoma magnum, an invasive ant species in northern and central Europe, was first observed in the canton of Vaud in 2012 and 2018 found in the cantons of Geneva and Zurich. In the spring of 2019, the Urban Pest Advisory Service collected ants from the front yard of a residential esta...

For more than 20 years various invasive ant species cause tremendous problems in Central Europe. The Tapinoma nigerrimum complex (Formicidae, Dolichoderinae) was first detected in 2007 in nursery plants. Further discoveries followed in the following years. Because of their species-specific propertie...

Tapinoma magnum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is an ant of Mediterranean origin that is considered an invasive species in central and northern Europe. It is now present in Switzerland, where it was first observed in the canton of Vaud in 2012. Tapinoma magnum colonizes urban and suburban zones, includin...

In July 2015 the Invasive Garden Ant, Lasius neglectus, was identified during control measures in an apartment house in the city of Zurich. This was the second finding of this species in Switzerland and the first finding in an inhabited area. In order to find out the distribution of the population, ...

Solid food carried into nests of ants by foraging workers is reported to be fed to larvae for digestion before nutrients are transmitted back to workers. The role of the digestion of solid food by larvae for worker consumption was investigated in the use of gel and granular baits in the management o...

Pachycondyla chinensis (Emery), the Asian needle ant, is an invasive, stinging ant established in the United States. It is known to displace both native and invasive ant species such as Linepithema humile (Mayr), the Argentine ant. It can be medically important to people who are allergic to arthropo...

Camponotus colonies have a worker subcaste, consisting of major and minor workers. This designation is based on the width and height of the head (cephalic index, CI). Performance of tasks by workers results in wear of the mandibular teeth. A sample of workers was taken from a laboratory colony of Ca...

As part of a study investigating experimental insecticide formulations for control of Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), in outdoor locations, the imidacloprid-based product Premise 2 (Bayer Environmental Science) was used as a commercial standard. During the study, Premise 2 provided the mo...

Development of the reproductive stages in the life cycle of ants varies among species. Formicine ants usually overwinter or spend development time in the nest between eclosion and the mating flight. Many of the Dolichodorinae and Myrmecinae mate in the nest and colonies reproduce by budding. A formi...

The Invasive Garden Ant, Lasius neglectus, was first recognised in Europe in 1990, and has now been recorded from at least ten European countries. It was first found in the UK in 2009 in Hidcote Manor Garden, Gloucestershire, UK, where the ant is believed to have been present for several decades. A ...

In the European Union, baits against pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) have to be authorized as biocidal products. The dossier to be submitted for authorization of the product has to include a proof of product efficacy. No consistent test standards have been established by the European Commission....

Global warming together with global trade and tourism gives foreign organisms a lot of opportunities to enter Europe and to find suitable habitats to establish. Many of these species already have a status as pests in their native countries and now start to be of major concern in Europe. A survey is ...

Lord Howe Island is a small sub-tropical island off the east coast of Australia. African bigheaded ant Pheidole megacephala (F.) was discovered on the island in 2003 and been subject to ongoing attempts at eradication resulting from concerns over its impact on native biota. In 2006-2007 a trial was ...

Ants are social insects that can be found almost in every terrestrial environment around the world. As in natural environment, the artificial environments are excellent places to install nests, but when installed in human habitations they are considered urban pests, because of the inconvenience caus...

Solenopsis species have a worldwide distribution; some species of the S. saevissima species group, native from South America and popularly known as fire ants, had been introduced accidentally in several countries worldwide. This species group is widely distributed in Brazil, including in urban areas...

The tropical and subtropical super colony tramp ant, Nylanderia pubens, the Caribbean crazy ant (CCA), was originally described from the Greater Antilles Islands and now has spread throughout the Caribbean and South America. In 1950, CCA was first reported in Florida and now is spread throughout the...

This investigation aimed at analyzing the passage of food inside the digestive system of Tapinoma melanocephalum. A water-soluble dye and a lipid-soluble dye were added to 3 different diets as tracers, to be later offered to different laboratory colonies of the ghost-ant. We collected 80 workers whi...

Solenopsis ant genus has a worldwide distribution but species from S. saevissima species group native to South America, and popularly known as fire ants, have been introduced accidentally in several countries worldwide. Despite a high diversity species in the Neotropical region, their ecology and li...

The aim of this study was to compare the structure of ant communities in two neighborhoods (Itaquera and Vila Mariana) with different urban profiles in the city of São Paulo. It also aims to establish the relationship between habits of the residents, the state of conservation and cleaning of homes a...

Introduction of exotic ants to Central Europe plays an increasing role for the last twenty years caused by the growing world trade and short transportation routes. Particularly tropical greenhouses offer ideal conditions for ant species with high temperature and humidity preferences and with ability...

The growing concern of consumers about the use of traditional insecticides has increased need for development of safe, effective, and natural insecticides and repellents. Plant extracts containing essential oils have been used for centuries to kill and repel a variety of insect pests including cockr...

Choice experiments determined sucrose bait base preference by using laboratory colonies of 10 species of urban pest ants, namely Monomorium pharaonis (L.), Monomorium floricola (Jerdon), Monomorium destructor (Jerdon), Monomorium orientale Mayr, Tapinoma indicum (Forel), Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fab...

A novel semi-liquid ant bait matrix containing imidacloprid between 0.001 and 0.1% destroyed all laboratory colonies of Pharaoh’s ant in a dose related time span. Best performance was observed with concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.1% imidacloprid. Two concentrations (0.01 and 0.05%) were field ...

Climatic changes, tourism and travel, intensive product deliveries, especially of tropical plants, all contribute to the growth of ant infestations in Europe. These rapidly adopting ant species might need to be more thoroughly learnt and understood and possibly new, inventive eradication systems be ...

Baiting offers an integral tool in the management of ants. Baiting trials with Camponotus modoc were successful in 55% of field trials with two granular, three gel, and two containerized baits in 2005-2007. Results with two granular, three gel, and four containerized baits in laboratory trials yield...

Tapinoma melanocephalum F. (Ghost Ant) infestations have increased in Western Europe. Generally, Ghost Ant infestations resemble those of Monomorium pharaonis (Pharaoh’s Ant) with a focus to older, multi-unit apartment blocks which offer a multitude of nesting opportunities and easy migration of ant...

The introduced ant, Pachycondyla chinensis (Emery) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a pest in northwestern South Carolina, and areas of North Carolina and Tennessee in the United States. First documented in the United States over 70 years ago, it only recently has achieved pest status. This exotic speci...

Brazil shows a high diversity of urban pest ants. Among its 2,000 recorded ant species, 20 to 30 species are urban ants (tramp species). Native and introduced species are found and are not equally distributed in its 27 states. Camponotus species are found in the five regions that divide the country ...

Ants can bite, sting and squirt formic acid. Usually the effects of the stings are mild but ants, like wasps, are capable of multiple stinging and this can induce anaphylactic shock. A few ants (such as Formica rufibarbis) are secondary hosts of Dicrocellium dentriticum in north and northwest of Ira...

Pachycondyla chinensis (Smith), is a Ponerine ant, endemic to Japan and parts of Asia. Although it has been established from Georgia to Virginia in the United States since at least 1874, it has received little attention here. In current literature of immunological studies conducted in Korea, in whic...

The Pharaoh’s ant is one of the utmost cosmopolitan pest species in the world. Its notoriety in bacterial transmission at hospitals through sterilized apparatus makes it an even more burdensome pest. Over the years, many studies on the control of this species had been conducted. This includes the us...

The Monomorium orientale is a common pest ant species found infesting human structures. Although it is of relatively lower significance when compared with some other more predominant ant pests, its minute size makes invading human foodstuffs almost too effortless and thus, it is deemed a pesky nuisa...

The ghost ant, Tapinoma indicum, is a well-known tramp species and is highly adaptable in its nesting habits where it readily settles outdoors and indoors. As a tropical species, T. indicum may be sensitive to extreme abiotic conditions such as low relative humidity and temperature. The objective of...

Odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile Say, is a pest ant with global distribution. The common name is derived from the emission of a substance with an odor similar to that of butyric acid. Polygynous colonies often associated with notably dynamic populations and multiple nesting sites make odorous hou...

Barrier applications of sprays and granules have been widely used to control Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), around structures. Their activity against ants, especially the pyrethroids, has been ascribed to toxicity and repellency. Recent studies have shown that bifenthrin and cyfluthrin p...

The Pharaoh’s ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.) is an important species in the urban environment. This paper discussed the performance of a new bait formulation containing S-methoprene. Discussions are made on various laboratory experiments (in Budapest, Hungary and Penang, Malaysia) and field trials i...

Carpenter ants are major structural pests in the United States, Canada, and Scandinavian countries. With the advent of non-repellent chemicals and more attractive baits, shifts have occurred in management strategies that include either perimeter sprays or baiting as the sole method for control. Four...

The Argentine ants nest in the ground and forage into hundreds of trees and houses in the area. We investigated the effect of competition between Argentine ants and red imported fire ants. When equal numbers of Argentine ants and fire ants interacted, fire ants were more successful than Argentines, ...

Sucrose intake rate and percent effort (a variable which describes the amount of energy an insect uses to feed on a liquid) was quantified for Solenopsis invicta Buren. In other words, how much energy does the insect gain and how much energy is lost in the feeding event? In order to understand this ...

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), is a worldwide agricultural and urban pest of Mediterranean and subtropical climates. They often displace native ant species when introduced into new areas. The Argentine ant is a tramp species that easily adapts to new environments and lives in close as...

The odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile (Say), is the principal ant invading structures in the mid-south region of the United States (Hedges, 1998) and is ranked as one of the top five pest ants in the United States (Hedges, 2000). The objective of this study was to determine which treatment, perime...

The benzoylphenyl urea insect growth regulator (IGR) noviflumuron and the fast-acting insect neurotoxicant spinosad were field tested separately and in combination to determine efficacy against the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren. Two separate trials were conducted in three se...

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, is an invasive species that is a serious agricultural, ecological, and urban pest. L. humile displaces native ant species and other arthropods, and also invades homes and other structures. Monomorium minimum, the little black ant, is also an urban pest that wil...

Argentine ants, Linepithema humile (Mayr), are a major urban pest species in many countries with Mediterranean and semi-tropical climates. L. humile primarily feeds on honeydew, nectar, and other liquid sweets. Baits consisting of sucrose solutions are highly preferred. Sucrose-based liquid solution...

The odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile (Say), is a severe pest of structures. We have investigated whether the use of liquid bait formulations is an effective strategy for control of this peripatetic, tramp-ant species. Sixteen homes or business establishments, located in or near Cape May, NJ, were...

Carpenter ants, Camponotusspp., are major structural pests as well as nuisance pests in northern areas of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Europe. Management tools have included cultural controls to modify habitats and foraging, dust applications to wall voids, perimeter sprays, bait...

The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a highly invasive species, a major urban pest, and capable of impacting native systems. It was first found in New Zealand in 1990, and in March 2000, a population was discovered on a 200-ha island reserve of conservation significance. This led to a call for ...

The Pharaoh ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.) is an important pest ant species in many parts of the world. Knowledge and understanding of feeding behavior of this species are essential to the success of baiting. Transfer of a toxicant in a bait to kill a targeted colony depends on the ability of the nu...

Efficient control and eradication of Pharaoh’s ant is a difficult task for PCOs mostly due to the fact that several queens live in a nest, all of which can not be killed with traditional methods. PROTECT B Pharaoh’s ant killer bait is a special ready-to-use formulation that contains an insect growth...

Carpenter ants feed on both liquid and solid food. Baiting for carpenter ants has proceeded using both of these media to introduce toxicants into the colony for control. Ingestion of food particles larger than 100 microns is effectively curtailed by the specializations of the epipharynx, hypopharynx...

Controlling Tapinoma melanocephalum (F.) can be extremely difficult and lengthy since the ants’ appearance inside a building may vary by day and the location. There are no long lasting ant trails like in other species and even the preference for food may vary within the day (carbohydrates, fruit jui...

The distance and speed that workers of Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), dispersed food was determined by feeding colonies sucrose + red dye. The maximum distances that the dye was dispersed was 33, 48, and 54 m at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. The addition of 0.001% and 0.0001% fipron...

Pharaoh’s ants, Monomorium pharaonis, are one of the more difficult indoor pest ants to control. We studied if routine exterior monitoring and initiating baiting when infestations are incipient, will prevent infestations inside a building. The study was conducted at a 7,841 m2 two-level building wit...

Pharaoh ants, Monomorium pharaonis, are significant pests associated with man and his environment. Chemical sprays are not ideal control methods if they cause the ants to disperse. There is a preference for bait treatments that provide a means to use ant biology to transfer slow-acting compounds int...

The Pharaoh’s ant Monomorium pharaonis (L.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a widespread urban pest, being most common in large, heated buildings. Fipronil is a novel phenyl-pyrazole insecticide, effective against insects of urban importance including termites and cockroaches, being active by both oral...

In the early spring Lasius niger may be a nuisance indoors. These ants often originate from nests right next to the foundation, below the house or sometimes even directly under the floor. The ants raise the humidity, which may result in severe damage to the woodwork, due to rot. The same applies to ...

Containerised insecticide bait products offer considerable advantages for control of urban crawling insect pests. However the differences in insecticide susceptibility and food preference between some pest species have resulted in a diversity of commercial bait products, each targeted at specific in...