Successful Control Of Tapinoma Magnum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) In The City Of Zurich, Switzerland

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 estate of 11 houses in the city of Zurich, where massive ant colonies were troubling inhabitants. Bernhard Seifert, the European ant specialist in Germany determined the species as T. magnum. The Urban Pest Advisory Service monitored the extent of the ant colony, which turned out to be very limited. A pest control company was ordered to eliminate the T. magnum ants on this site. The pest management professional applied 13 treatments from May until the beginning of October. By mid-October no more T. magnum were sighted. The site will be checked for T. magnum in spring 2020 and further control measures will be taken if necessary