The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, has been reported to contribute to the biological control of key arthropod pests in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, and other crops. Solenopsis invicta also has been implicated as a major disrupter of biological control and a direct crop pest associated with reduced yields. In 2000 and 2001, fire ant foraging, survival of sentinel lepidopteran eggs and pupae, seasonal abundance of common foliage-dwelling soybean arthropods, and crop yield were assessed under three different fire ant suppression treatments at two test sites in Tift Co., GA. The treatments included an untreated control, hydramethylnon ant bait, and hydramethylnon bait in combination with the broad spectrum insecticide chlorpyriphos. Fire ant foraging was reduced in the chemically-treated plots in comparison to the control, based on fire ant numbers on hot dog baits after a 1-h field exposure in the early morning. Survival of soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens Walker, eggs in 2000 and corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea Boddie, eggs in 2001 was lower in the untreated plots after a 24-h field exposure, where S. invicta foraging rates were high. Soybean looper pupal survival was 34 and 88% lower on foliage and the ground, respectively, in the control compared to those with reduced fire ant foraging. The seasonal abundance of foliage-dwelling soybean arthropods was primarily unaffected by the fire ant suppressing treatments. However, in 2001, green cloverworms, Hypena scabra F., and spiders were significantly lower (38.6 and 40.5%, respectively) in the chlorpyriphos plus hydramethylnon bait treatment in comparison to the other treatments. Season-long suppression of fire ants had no effect on soybean yield. The results of this study suggest that S. invicta, at naturally-occurring levels, is an active predator on some common soybean lepidopteran pests.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 October 2006
Research Article|
October 01 2006
Monitoring Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Foraging Behavior and Impact on Foliage-Dwelling Arthropods on Soybean Produced Under Three Ant Suppression Regimes
Michael P. Seagraves;
Michael P. Seagraves
2
University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Entomology, PO Box 748, Tifton, Georgia 31793 USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Robert M. McPherson
Robert M. McPherson
3
University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Entomology, PO Box 748, Tifton, Georgia 31793 USA
3Address inquiries (email: pherson@uga.edu).
Search for other works by this author on:
Journal of Entomological Science (2006) 41 (4): 374–384.
Article history
Received:
December 23 2005
Accepted:
March 18 2006
Citation
Michael P. Seagraves, Robert M. McPherson; Monitoring Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Foraging Behavior and Impact on Foliage-Dwelling Arthropods on Soybean Produced Under Three Ant Suppression Regimes. Journal of Entomological Science 1 October 2006; 41 (4): 374–384. doi: https://doi.org/10.18474/0749-8004-41.4.374
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
Trap Type Affects Catches of Bark and Woodboring Beetles in a Southern Pine Stand
D.R. Miller, C.M. Crowe
RNAi Suppression of Vacuolar ATPase Subunit H Inhibits Immunity-Related Gene Expression in Pine Sawyer Beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)
Xiaojuan Li, Huayang Yin, Wanlin Guo, Xiaoxiao Niu, Guangping Dong, Jianmin Fang, Hongjian Liu
Survey on Major Insect Pests and Management Practices Adopted for Georgia Golf Courses and Sod Farms
Midhula Gireesh, Shimat V. Joseph
Cloning and Expression Analysis of Glutathione S-transferase Genes from Agrilus zanthoxylumi (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)
Chen Di, Guo Li, Xie Shou-An, Gao Xiao-Jin, Jia Ren-Hang, Zhang Ze-Teng, Qi Yu, LV Shu-Jie
Validation of Reference Genes Across Populations of Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) for RT-qPCR Analysis of Gene Expression Related to Pyrethroid Detoxification
Rosa E. Lozano, Débora P. Paula, David A. Andow, Robert L. Koch