Experimental Design For Efficacy Testing Of Baits Against Monomorium Pharaonis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract:
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. A test method for efficacy testing of baits against Pharaoh ants was published by the Federal Environment Agency Germany in 1998 and is in use for efficacy tests according to the German Infectious Diseases Protection Act. The test system is a test arena of interconnected test boxes (each 25 cm x 25 cm). In our study, this test system was compared with a dish (diameter 23 cm) as test arena. Test duration was 50 days for both arena types (boxes and dish) for choice and 20 days for no-choice tests. The results for choice tests revealed that in the box system more colonies were eradicated (boxes: 75%, dishes: 0%) within 50 d, and more queens died (average number of surviving queens was 0.5 in boxes and 29.7 in dishes).