Assessment of toxic baits for the control of the samsum ant, Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

Journal Article

2014

The use of synthetic organic pesticides has serious economic, social and environmental
ramifications. Thus, this study describes the experiments using botanical and bacterial
extracts to control the samsum ant (Pachycondyla sennaarensis). This ant is widely distributed
in many parts of southern Saudi Arabia, and has been established as a household pest ant.
Three Saudi plants, harmal (Rhaza stricta), boxthorn (Lycium shawii) and artemisia (Artemisia
inculta) and two bacterial extracts, Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis and Streptomyces sp. were
tested in a minced meat bait against the workers of samsum ant. Among the plant extracts
tested, at a concentration of 0.3mgof the plant extract of boxthorn per gram of food exhibited
the highest toxicity to samsum ants, causing 20.30 % mortality per day and 100 % average
death rate of all the ants in 4.9 days. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the bacterial
extract of Streptomyces sp. was the most effective agent to control these ants, with the average
death rate at 30 ants per day at a concentration of 0.3 mg/g food.