Management Strategy and Technology of RIFA in China

Yongyue Lu,Ling Zeng 한국응용곤충학회 2019 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2019 No.04

Red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta is one of the 100 most threatening alien species in the world. Originally distributed in parts of South America, it has invaded 24 other countries and regions now. Because of its ferocious habits, rapid reproduction and strong competitiveness, it is easy to outbreaks and cause disaster in a short period of time after the invasion, and will endanger agriculture and forestry, human health, biodiversity and public safety. The fire ant had been found in Taoyuan, Taiwan in September 2003, and Guangdong, mainland China on September 23, 2004. As a new invasive species in south China, although it was paid serious attention by the governments and the scientists, but the fire ant has kept spreading fast after its invasion. In order to delay its expansion and control its infestation, the following research on the fire ant has been carried out and completed 14 years after its invasion in China. To discover the fire ant invasion in mainland China, and reveal its spreading and expanding law, including 1) the genetic diversity, invasive sources, ways, routes, migration and expansion of the fire ant in China at different spatial scales; 2) a system of methods for estimating invasion and expansion; 3) monitor continuously for 14 years to clarify its diffusion dynamics in mainland China. Clarify the catastrophic law and mechanism of the fire ant invasion in mainland China, and include 1) The laws and mechanisms of invasive biology, behavior, population dynamics, ecological adaptation, social immunity, interspecific competition/reciprocity; 2) The disturbance of the fire ant invasion to crops, species relationship, community structure, control pest function, pollination function and soil environment in southern six ecosystems; 3) The laws and mechanisms of inhibiting invasion and restoring diversity in the diverse habitats; 4) New functions of chemosensing related genes and the regulation mechanism of light avoidance behavior. Reveal the basic theory of chemical control of the fire ant, and establish a safe and efficient technical system for emergency control and eradication, such as 1) the transmission toxicity, behavioral toxicity, reproductive disturbance, repellent activity, control effect and environmental effect of 46 insecticides; 2) pesticide-induced killing-queen behavior and its mechanism; 3) standard methods for evaluation of control effect for insecticides. Reveal the basic theory of chemical control of the fire ant, and establish a safe and efficient technical system for emergency control and eradication, such as 1) Five safe and efficient formations and their application technologies, and breakthroughs in high attractiveness, waterproofing formations and application methods, and the control effect of single use with 89% - 97%; 2) emergency prevention and control in 8 types of ecological areas eradication mode and technology system, with the breakthrough of inefficient or ineffective products and technology in rainy and low temperature seasons, and the control effect with 96% - 100%, and local eradication of 19 areas. Put forward risk management strategies, and build up an accurate, efficient and safe monitoring and quarantine technology system, and include 1) the suitability and risk management strategies and techniques based on more extensive research; 2) new monitoring technologies with the accuracy of 98% - 100%; 3) relationship among the three methods, and a monitoring and index system; 4) efficient quarantine technology for entry-exit, occurrence regions and transportation; 5) near infrared reflection ant nest detection system, and information management system; 6) construct the management, technical standards and promotion system, and apply them widely; 7) more than 40 national standards and schemes in a management/technical standard system.

Description of a new species of Spininola (Lepidoptera, Nolidae, Nolinae), and the first records of other two species from China

Yan-Qing Hu,Yongyue Lu,Min Wang 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.2

The paper includes the description of a new species, Spininola longshengensis sp. nov. Further two species, Spininola trilinea (Marumo, 1923) and S. armata László, Ronkay & Witt, 2010, are reported from China for the first time. Adults and their genitalia are illustrated.

Electrophysiological and alarm behavioral responses of Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to alkoxypyrazines

Yan Sun,Kai-Min Shao,Yongyue Lu,Qun-Hui Shi,Wen-Kai Wang,Li Chen 한국응용곤충학회 2017 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.20 No.2

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta produces an alarm pheromone component, 2-ethyl-3,6- dimethylpyrazine, and responds to its pyrazine analogs in a similar manner but at varied detection thresholds. Herein, the responses of fire ant workers by electroantennogram (EAG) and behavior were tested with twelve structurally-related oxygen-containing pyrazines (alkoxypyrazines) and the synthetic alarm pheromone. All tested compounds elicited a dose-dependent EAG response, with S. invicta responding greatest to the synthetic alarmpheromone. Chemical structure of pyrazines influenced the EAG response but not always alarmbehavioral response. Among the 13 tested compounds, 7 compounds displayed significantly greater EAG response than 2- isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine and 2-ethoxy-3-isopropylpyrazine at the dose of 1000 μg. Four of these 7 compounds, 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine, 2-ethoxy-3(5 or 6)-methylpyrazine, and 2-chloro-3-methoxypyrazinewith characteristic substituents on pyrazine ringwere further subjected to bait discovery bioassay.Hotdog bait containing pyrazines attracted significantlymore fire antworkers in the first 15-min period, resulting in quicker recruitment to food block than hexane control. The potential of using alkoxypyrazines in fire ant control is discussed.

Occurrence of three intracellular symbionts (Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Cardinium) among ants in southern China

Lei Wang,Jianjun Jiang,Yijuan Xu,Ling Zeng,Yongyue Lu 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.4

Many ants are commonly infected bymaternally inherited endosymbionts.Weexamined the prevalence of three bacterial endosymbionts (Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, and Cardinium) in ant populations in southern China. The results showed that the proportion of ant samples infected byWolbachia and Arsenophonuswas 30.20% and 18.79%, respectively. Cardiniumwas not found in any of our samples. Our results also indicated that more than 50% of the ant species (30 of 56) tested were infected by maternally inherited bacteria. Of the 56 ant species, 35.71% were infected byWolbachia and 37.50%were positive for Arsenophonus. Co-occurrence of Arsenophonus and Wolbachia was found in the same colony in 7 of 56 ant species. This study suggests that Wolbachia and Arsenophonus are the main inherited bacteria in ants in southern China. These endosymbiontsmay have strong impacts on ant biology and can be manipulated for pest management.

The effect of chlorfenapyr exposure on Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Liang Yuling,Liang Mingrong,Li Panpan,Song Yunbo,Lu Yongyue 한국응용곤충학회 2023 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.26 No.2

Red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren, pose a serious risk to the agriculture, environment, and public health in areas invaded by this species. Chemical insecticides have been widely used to prevent and control this plaguing pest. To discover a novel and cost-effective compound for controlling fire ants, we examined the toxic effect of chlorfenapyr on fire ants. While chlorfenapyr exhibited an insufficient horizontal toxicity transfer and knockdown effect to fire ants, feeding with chlorfenapyr solution increased fire ant workers’ gathering abilities while decreasing their walking, climbing, and adhesion ability. The mortalities of the small, medium, and large-size workers were 84.17%, 98.75%, and 82.08%, respectively, after 72 h of treatment with 25, 50, and 200 μg/ml chlorfenapyr. Additionally, females and males exhibited more higher tolerance than workers to chlorfenapyr; meanwhile, females showed a higher resistance than males. That is, the mortality of males was 100% after 120 h of treatment with 6.25 μg/ml chlorfenapyr. In contrast, the mortality of females was 79.05% after 144 h of treatment with 100 μg/ml chlorfenapyr. In addition, the chlorfenapyr bait exhibited significant toxicity on fire ants. Treated with 0.01% chlorfenapyr bait showed a better toxic effect than 0.025% during the period of 2 d-7 d. However, the weight of ant corpses was 1.32 and 1.23 g at 12 d of treatment with 0.025% and 0.01% chlorfenapyr bait, respectively. The present research showed that chlorfenapyr appeared to be an effectively potential toxic compound for developing bait to manage S. invicta.