Control of Red Harvester Ant with Drenches, Granules, and Aerosols, 1982

Abstract

Control of red harvester ants was evaluated in 2 separate tests. Test 1 was conducted along a roadside outside of Perkins, OK. Test ? was conducted at the OSU Agricultural Research Station near Perkins, OK. Treatments in both tests were randomized and replicated 10 times. Ant mounds were checked for activity and marked prior to the start of the tests. Treatments for Test 1 and 2 were made on Jun 9 and Jul 22, respectively. Mounds were checked for activity 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 wk after treatments. If 2 ants were observed per mound, the colony was recorded as active. On the 8th wk, all mounds were checked for activity by digging to a depth of 6 in beneath the mound. Treatments were applied over each nest opening which covered an area 4 ft in diameter. Drenches consisted of applying 1 gal from a garden sprinkler can and granules were evenly distributed over the surface of the mounds. In Test 2, Cessco aerosol treatments were made by dividing each mound into quadrants and making 1 injection per quadrant plus 1 center injection in the middle of the nests at an application rate of 4 or 8 sec per injection. Rainfall in the area of all tests was: Jun, 4.37 in; Jul, 1.98 in; and Aug, 1.38 in for a total of 7.73 in.