Effect of Soil Treatments for Cottony Cushion Scale (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) Control on Nylanderia fulva (Hymenoptera: Formidicae) Survival and Trailing Activity

Abstract

Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), or tawny crazy ant, is an invasive ant from South America that is spreading in the southern US. Extremely large populations of this ant can inundate urban and natural landscapes, and efficient control methods are lacking. This study was conducted to determine if activity of N. fulva would decline after controlling the hemipteran honeydew-producers they were tending. Potted plants infested with cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi Maskell) (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) were treated with 2 imidacloprid insecticide formulations, and changes in N. fulva survival and foraging behavior were monitored. There were fewer ant trails, lower trailing intensity, less foraging, and less nesting in potted plants treated with either product than in the control pots. The use of low application rates of systemic insecticide to reduce honeydewproducing hemipterans, such as cottony cushion scale, could be an important component of the integrated pest management of N. fulva.