Use Of An Alginate Hydrogel To Deliver Aqueous Bait To Manage An Invasive Ant Pest In Residential Settings

Abstract:
Insecticide sprays used for ant control generally cause environmental contamination. Liquid bait is effective, but requires bait stations to dispense the toxicant. In this study, we develop a natural alginate hydrogel to deliver liquid bait, without the use of bait stations. Hydrogel beads conditioned in a sucrose solution with 0.0001% thiamethoxam provided complete control of all castes of Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Mayr) colonies, by 5 days post-treatment in the laboratory trial, and provided a 79% reduction in ant activity after 8 weeks in the field trial. This work demonstrates the potential of alginate hydrogel as an effective tool to deliver liquid bait in controlling Argentine ants.